


6 Months in the City

by thatdragonchic



Series: Billion Page Fic Series [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family Feels, Family Issues, Found Family, Gen, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Mac is happy, MacRiley just being cute siblings tbh, Multi, Realistic, Relationship Advice, Riley and Mac bonding, Riley dealing with her breakup with Billy, Riley is learning to get accustomed to Jasper, Sibling Love, Team Love and Stuff, jasper is a good husband, self discovery, we STAN
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-07-12 13:57:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 157,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19947283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatdragonchic/pseuds/thatdragonchic
Summary: Sequel to "Christmas Eve is Good for Fighting"Riley goes to see Mac a few months after Billy breaks her heart, she really just needs his help but finds that he's changed since leaving and marrying Jasper. And she learns that Jasper isn't the man she made him out to be in her head. Maybe he DID take her brother away from home, but he also gave him a better life.Follow Riley and Mac as they come to terms with love, loss, and recovering from what pains them, while finding solace in the family they've made around them.





	1. August

\- The Petit Triumph Bakery -

“Well, Michelle is the only one left from the two girls I hired last year,” Jasper says to Jack. “The other girl, Rebecca? She transferred. I was thinking of maybe creating applications, but I think for now we’re doing okay.”  
“Rebecca sucked,” Michelle says, walking in, shoulders back, her black hair tied up in a bun with a glitzy scrunchy, her eyes were always determined never faltered. Jasper laughs.

“Your right, but she was an extra hand. She knew how to use the registers.”

“They’re ipads, it’s not hard,” Michelle reminds. She takes the tray from Jasper and sticks it in the oven. She grabs a new tray of the August Eve Chocolate Bomb from the fridge and scurries off with it. 

“She’s got a point,” Jack says, scooping cookie dough into trays. “Besides, you’ve got all of us, no reason to get your panties in a wiggle.”

“Is that a saying?” 

“I think it is.”

Jasper shrugs, accepting Jacks eternal wisdom (if you could call it that) and goes to wet a rag and wipe down the countertops. It was a slow day, considering outside the pavement might as well been melting in the summer sun. Everyone was warmed away inside, with their muttering air conditions, and their legs thrashing on the too hot couch with their shorts riding up their thighs. Anyone outside was walking with their heads down, shoulders out, big black sunglasses on, trying to find the closest place with an AC system, and maybe something cold to drink. 

“We’re running low on iced tea,” Michelle calls. “Rush is starting.”

Jasper grabs the tea he’d set in the fridge a few hours ago, and starts up on refilling the dispensers in the front. He moves about, filling each one. Michelle taps him, and he steps aside, and she makes an iced coffee, than another. He runs his hands along his waist apron, and goes to the open register, smiling as Jerry steps up to the register. “Jerry! How was your presentation today?”

“It went amazing, all your help last night- I couldn’t be more thankful,” he says, beaming and Jasper beams back. The man was about Mac’s age, came in frequently to do projects or just read in his down time. 

“Hey, you did all the hard work man,” Jasper says, laughing a bit. “What can I get you today?”

“Iced coffee with that- god what’s that flavoring you always put?”

“Almond and Vanilla? You got it. Large right?”

“Always. And- what’s the best pastry you have today?”

“Well, I think my rocky road cookies came out great today, they’re Mac’s favorite.” 

“So that means they must be good.”

“I think so,” he agrees, smiling. Jasper hands him a table number, and sets about making the order, sets the cookie in the tiny oven he had to warm baked goods in, and goes back to the register taking the next order. 

Jack comes out with more iced coffee, and refills the tank. Michelle conversing and taking orders, and packing cookies into paper bags, scooping ice cream into bowls. Michelle was quick, bubbly when she needed to be. 

Jasper sets up a tray and takes it to the table that Jerry was at, Michelle whizzing past him as she sets down the desserts and drinks of a family at a table. A few college students Jasper knew Mac had last semester are strolling in, and he smiles. 

“Hi Mr. Sheriff,” one girl says smiling. 

“Hello,” he says. 

“Professor Mac setting up for the semester?”

“Oh yeah, he’s been losing his mind a little all week. They moved him into his own little dome of an office since he holds student study groups. They sprung it on him last minute, so he’s trying to organize his office now, prepare for the first day.”

“That makes sense, he probably still has it together more than me.”

Jasper laughs. “You’d be surprised.”

They walk to the counter together, the kids standing in line, Jack making a coffee to go and handing it to the customer, passing over a tray to Michelle to refill some of the cakes. People file in, and either find tables or take their things to go. The Triumph is warmly lit, a bit muggy from the muddling AC and the collection of voices and bodies heating up the space around them. Regardless of the abstract heat, nobody remains still. 

Jasper liked that about New York, that everyone never could seem to stop moving, that people always had stories to tell, that each day he met people with vivid lives, and stories and backgrounds. He smiles as he sets up the next order, moving to the back to get started on a few more cakes. As people start to flood in.

\- Hudson Yards, Luxury Condos and Apartments - 

Mac looks over the box of stuff he’s organized to put in his office, Cadmium trotting around him excitedly with her toy in mouth, he takes the toy and tosses it across the living room again, smiling as he watches her go. The sun is hazy in the late afternoon sky, he can see the people down below in the yards mall, walking through, going to the giant vessel. Mac hums as he walks around, setting up his papers, his binders, his folders. 

His briefcase was almost set, when the doorbell rings. He takes a deep breath, trying to clear his head from the million thoughts going through, his legs projecting him towards the front door and opening it. He has no idea who would be here, he hasn’t invited anyone over- Well, he invited Frankie. But was her train supposed to be here? His eyes lead up as he opens the door, ready to smile for whoever it might be, only for his face to fall flat, his mouth to turn down in concern. 

“Riley?”

She looks up from her phone, her eyes big and watery. She had a few bags with her, maybe she’d be staying long. Cadmium was sniffing at her legs and Mac grabs her collar, pulling her back, inside at Riley’s sudden look of concern. 

“Did you say you were coming?”

“No… I… I need a place to stay, just for a while,” she says softly. He nods, grabbing her bags and bringing her in, her eyes tracing around in awe. She’d never been to his home in New York, they always said they were going to go, but the plans always changed. She’s left looking around, eyes struck with wonder.

“I should warn you, Frankie is on her way over, we’re going to set up my office. I have classes starting soon. Did you want to come? Jessie will be home before 9, or at least, he usually is.”

“Oh your busy,” Riley says as if she hadn’t thought of this before. 

“Just a little bit. You can come with me- did you want the downstairs room, or a room upstairs?”

Riley looks around, spotting a door and Mac must see her train of thought. 

“That’s the bathroom. The kitchen is straight ahead, over here is the living room. Why don’t you sleep upstairs? Come on,” he says gently, bringing her stuff upstairs with him, leading Riley up the wide spiral staircase and into the depths of a hallway, taking her to the room across from his own. They set her bags down, and he brushes the sheets smooth. Frankie slept in the room often, so they were freshly washed. 

“You know if it’s too much-”

“What’s too much?”

“Me being here…”

“Not even a little bit, Riles. Did you want something to eat?”

“That depends, are you going to make it?” She aims to tease, but her eyes are sad.

He laughs. “I’ve gotten significantly better at the whole cooking thing, okay? Besides, there’s leftovers of the stew Jasper made last night.”

“Stew in the summer?”

“He was very much in the mood for a stew last night, and he made a whole crock pot worth.”

“And how much of that did he eat?”

“Two plate fulls actually. I can heat it up for you, I’ll make coffee too.”

“That, I know you know how to make.”

“Jasper just got us this really nice coffee machine- it has a tiny espresso maker attached.”

She gives a half hearted laugh, and he smiles, hesitating before resting his hand on her shoulder. “Come on, leave your stuff for later.”

“Can I meet you downstairs? I just… I need a minute.”

“Is everything okay?”

She shrugs insecurely, and Mac waits patiently for her to say something, purses his lips before smiling when she says nothing, just looks down at her sleeves as she fidgets. He moves and kisses her head. “I’ll be downstairs,” he says, turning and leaving the room. He goes downstairs, standing at the base of the stairs for a second, Cadmium waiting patiently on the floor, chewing her toy. 

He smiles, going to kiss her head, rubbing along her jaw as she gets excited at the attention she’s receiving. He smiles, Whiskey popping up from his spot behind the couch, lazily strutting towards the couch and climbing up to lay on top of Cadmium, resting his little head on Cadmium’s belly, Cadmium seeming enthusiastic about this new development, stays obediently still for her friend to rest. 

Mac smiles, and goes on into the kitchen, where he grabs the stew, and he puts the pot of leftovers on the stove, letting it warm. He starts on the coffee, deciding to make a regular pot. Moving about the kitchen, he chews over every possible situation that would have brought Riley here to his door, her eyes so defeated and sad seeming. 

He can’t help but grab his phone.  _ Riley’s over, i set her up in the room. _

“Mac? I brought some new folders for you, because I know you’re going to use those same beat up manilla folders that you’ve been using since before you even started teaching.”

“Frankie?” He calls.

“No it’s the ghost next door,” she teases, walking into the room with a big bag of stuff. His shoulders relax and she puts the bag down, Cadmium sitting up attentively waiting for kissing. She reaches out her arm, and Mac pulls her into a tight hug, burying his head in her hair. “Missed me, boy genius?”

“More than you know, new offices suck,” he admits and she laughs. “Spy life you just worked in the same place and then got to travel on nice private jets, beat up some people. Never new offices that needed organizers, and pens, and setting up the room so it’s just perfect enough to fit students and give them a place to work.”

She laughs, rubbing his arms. “You’re heating up food?”

“Oh yeah, uh… Riley is here,” he says as if confused.

“She is? You didn’t say she was coming to visit.”

“I uh… I didn’t know she was coming to visit actually. It was a surprise.”

Frankie nods. “Well, where is she?”

“Upstairs getting settled in, I gave her the Frankie Suite.”

“My room?” she asks devastated. “Oh, wait until Smitty hears this, he is  _ so _ going to kick your butt.”

Mac laughs. “Yeah okay, because he can totally take me.”

“You think you’re all big and strong now but he totally can,” she says, shaking her head, the two beaming. She hugs him again, Mac holding her tight as they sway. 

“Come on, lets not burn the coffee or anything.” 

Mac follows Frankie into the kitchen after he grabs the bag and sets it on the couch. Frankie has decide to make a salad, while Mac texts back his husband who’d only sent a question mark. He looks up to see if Riley has come out of her room yet, and he fidgets nervously.

“Go check on her,” Frankie says.

“I’m just worried… I think she wants to be alone but… I don’t know. She just kind of showed up here, looking for a place to stay. So I just want to know what happened… why she seems so lost.”

“Maybe she got sick of all the secret spy stuff too,” Frankie says softly. “Or maybe she just missed you. If you didn’t text me, I probably would’ve ended up on your couch in Cali, just looking for a place to stay too.”

Mac scoffs. “Yeah, okay.”

“It’s true, you’re like a drug. Once your crazy rubs off on someone, it’s like you just can’t stop. You need that crazy all the time.”

“Did Jasper tell you to say that? I so feel like he told you to say that.” 

“What? Through the secret microphone in my tank top?”

He laughs. “Yes. You’re conspiring against me.” 

“I am not! You’re a loon, and we love you idiot.” 

“I love you too, idiot.”

“Is Jasper coming home soon?”

“He isn’t fully caught up yet.”

She nods, going to lower the heat on the stove as it comes to a boil. Just then Mac’s phone buzzes, and Mac answers the call from Jack. A heated argument ensues as such: 

“I don’t  _ know  _ why she’s here, she won’t tell me. Or well, she hasn’t told me- okay and? I tried. No i’m not just going to rush into things- that’s not what she  _ needs  _ Jack. What she needs- I do know what she needs! Yeah! Remember that time, I just left and went to Jaspers for a few months? That’s because I  _ needed _ \- Oh my goooood than you come here and interrogate her. Then when she cries that’s your problem to deal with! Yeah it is! Because you’re the one demanding blunt force trauma on her already- nononono don’t you dare say-! You can’t go back like that! You  _ just said _ \- oh now you’re going to pass off the phone because of- Jasper Sheriff hand back the phone right now or you are not allowed back into this house.” 

The room is awfully quiet as Mac stands there annoyed, and Frankie leans in to listen with him to the somewhat distant bickering of Jasper and Jack over who gets to deal with Mac’s wrath on the other end of the phone. Jaspers argument is he in fact likes his house and his bed, and that he isn’t about to deal with it. Jack claims that he likes his life an awful lot and is not looking to be murdered. Mac? Hangs up the phone. 

“So, I guess that solves the who gets murdered situation,” Frankie says. “Do you want me to check on her?”

“No, I’ll go upstairs. Make sure if she stays, and Jasper walks in without an apology cake, to turn back around and get one.”

Frankie laughs, watching as Mac goes upstairs and starts setting up the dinner plates. Mac makes it to the room Riley was in, knocking gently. 

“Hey, dinner is just about set…” he moves to sit on the floor with her as she looks through her stuff. “Did you want to shower before we left or…?”

“Can I just stay here? I’m sorry… the flight was just long.”

“I don’t think you’re telling the truth but… I’ll accept it for now.”

“It was… I hate flying commercial.”

“Well, Matty does spoil us rotten.”

Riley smiles, nodding, her legs crossed. Mac rubs her knee. “Billy cheated on me… and I just feel like I’m lying to everyones face about being okay now that we’re broken up. And I just… I don’t know, it was the one good thing I had for a while. Not that you guys weren’t but it was…”

“Different… Yeah, I know. I get it,” Mac says softly. 

“It really was. And he always felt right. It was like… when you said how you see Jasper and nothing in the world can defeat that feeling? That it’s just the most right thing?”

Mac smiles sadly, nodding. 

“Do you think he’d do that to you?”

“No… Jasper isn’t like that. He’s never been… that guy. What we have is special, I know that in every sense of knowing something. I’m sure of it. Maybe… maybe he’s just a jerk, maybe he was really good at being a player. But someone like that, who does something that he knows would hurt you if you found out? That’s not love, Riles.”

“I know…” she says softly.

“Love is currently waiting for you in a bowl of stew, with a very down to business Frankie. And also, Jasper can sooooo hook you up with a date if you need one,” Mac says and Riley laughs.

“I don’t know… I just… I had so much in mind for me and him… all the things we’d do together. The house we’d live in.”

“I felt that way about Nikki… well, sort of. I think I just… expected to marry her, have a few kids, buy a nice house or something to fit said kids in. Then around 35 I’d have grey hairs, and she’d be having an affair, and so I’d file a divorce and take the kids and we’d just retire to hawaii or something.”

Riley becomes increasingly more confused than amused as Mac speaks. “And now you’re 27 and married to not Nikki. How’s the divorce papers looking?”

“Evident if he comes home without cake. I might have to write the draft by tomorrow.”

“Oh please, you love him with your whole heart, you would never. What about the kids part?”

He shrugs. “It’s not really a conversation we’ve had yet… but that’s not a now conversation, come on. Let’s go downstairs, Frankies waiting.”

\- The Petit Triumph - 

Jasper squares off about 300 dollars in tip, handing it to Michelle. She smiles and takes it. “Any reason we’re closing so early?”

“My husband is probably going to kill me. That’s reason enough I think.”

“He’s just stressed, Professor Macgyver is always stressed.”

“You know you can call him Mac right?”

“I know. Just feels weird, I have to see him in class. I’m taking his chemistry class.” 

“He has much knowledge,” Jasper says. “Is Jack vibrating into another plane of existence yet or…?”

“Did something happen?”

“No, Macs younger sister just popped in for a surprise visit. They’re both a little nervous, she never really does things like that, so… I guess they’re just concerned. Here put this in the safe?” He hands her the money bag, and she puts it in the open safe. 

“So everything is okay?”

“I think so.”

“Didn’t his dad have cancer?”

“His dads evil, evil men kick it until you drain all the blood from their livers. I would know, my grandfather was a bad man, and I’m pretty sure he’s 70 something, kicking in California.”

“Do all bad men live in california?”

“Probably. California is superficial. Mac was just a diamond in the rough, he was special. Also put aside that whole cake we still have. I’ll make another one tomorrow, I’ll take that one home to Mac.” 

“And Jack? He’s not Californicated.”

“Oh please, does Jack  _ seem  _ like he’s from California, sugar?”

“I don’t know, honestly. He could be… from anywhere.” she squints and Jasper laughs. 

“Your kidding.”

“No. seriously, where is he from?”

“Texas.”

She gasps. “I never would have guessed! Never would’ve guessed.” 

“He sounds Texan, Micho.”

“He doesn’t! Like you, you sound like you’re from the south, and I could probably pin point South Carolina if I  _ tried _ . But he’s just…. Got his ambigious, not always southern accent.”

“He doesn’t! God, how did you miss that?”

“Ugh, I can’t believe it! He doesn’t seem Texan.”

“He’s the embodiment of stereotypical Texas Ranch Cowboy minus the intense christianity and bigoted racism.” 

She squints. “He owns a cowboy hat?”

“And boots!”

“Stylish. Jack! I heard you were dressing up for Ranch Day!”

“For  _ what _ ?”

“Oh yeah, it’s gonna be a HIT! Can you wear 

\- Hudson Yards Luxury Apartments - 

Jasper opens the door, wanders and finds Riley on the floor with Mac eating ice cream. Frankie is laying on the couch reading a book. “I brought cake,” he says softly. “Hi Riley. How was your flight?”

“What kind of cake?” Mac asks as he takes another bite, squinting a bit coy.

“Your favorite kind… But you won’t get to find out unless you come to the kitchen.”

“Would require me to get up and I am here, on the floor, with a spooooon so…”

“You two are being gross,” Riley says. “You realize we’re sitting here-”

“Riley!” Jack yells walking in, concern bellowing in his voice as he struts forward, Riley waving from her spot on the floor, curled up next to Mac. Mac smiles, nudging her. “Riley, honey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… well, I’m better.”

“Better?”

“Macs good company. Haven’t had much of that lately.”

Mac stands up, and goes to take the cake from Jasper’s hand, kissing him quick, gesturing they go to the kitchen, Jack watching the two go and focusing on Riley, her eyes following them in a sad sort of way. 

“Riley honey, come on, why don’t I help you unpack.”

Riley nods, cleaning up their little ice cream mess. “Let me just bring this to the kitchen..” she says softly. She goes off, Jasper and Mac leaning against the counter whispering until she walks in. 

“Hey Riles, Mac says you’re stayin a while?” Jaspers says, parting from mac, stepping forward and taking the ice cream. “You okay?”

“Does me visiting really set off that many alarms?” 

Jasper gives a half shrug, pursing his lips a bit in the same way Mac does when he seems a bit uncertain of what to say next. “Uhm… No, not at all. You just seem tired. Is your room set up?”

“I’m in the Frankie Suite.”

“Oh,” Jasper says surprised, he looks at Mac. “Did you just not want to wash a new set of sheets?”

“Bingo,” he says. “And now I have to anyways because Frankie is staying the night.”

Jasper laughs. “I’ll do it.” He hands Mac the ice cream and kisses Riley’s head, making her smile. 

“He’s a good guy,” Riley says once he’s out of the room. Mac laughs. 

“Yeah, he is. Just noticed?”

“No… I don’t know, sometimes I forget he’s not just the guy who swept you away. That we love him a lot.”

“Trust me… I forget I lived a life before all his pomp and circumstance swept me into a luxury apartment, and every idea he had was this brilliant million dollar idea, every person he met was his new best friend. Not that i forget  _ you  _ guys, just that things weren’t… this good all the time.” 

“Riley, you okay in there?” Jack hollars, and Riley sighs. 

“I forgot how worried he gets.”

“It never stops,” Mac assures, smiling. “Go. If he gets overbearing, just hollar or send a text.” 

She nods and goes back to Jack. 

Frankie is setting up her bed next door, Mac and Jasper across the hallway, there’s music playing from their room, or maybe it was from the bathroom, Riley wasn’t sure. She could hear Cadmium running around with Whiskey, barking happily. The house was so alive, and quiet didn’t seem to exist. Jack comes out of the bathroom, holding a cleaner, Jasper walking in with him. 

“I just cleaned this room  _ last week,  _ I know like hell it ain’t that bad,” Jasper says and Jack squints skeptically. Riley smiles, sitting on the bed, her unpacked, folded clothes all around her, drawers to the dresser open, closet being arranged. 

“I didn’t say it was that bad, I just said I want Riley sleeping in the cleanest environment possible-”

“And what are you implying right now?”

“I’m not implying  _ anything _ . All I’m saying is-”

“Your  _ implying  _ that my house isn’t in tip top shape Mr. Dalton which is very unappreciated considering-”

“Now I never said that-”

“Jack, he’s pushing your buttons,” Frankie says as she takes the kleenex wipes from his hands and yanks out a few before handing it back. “Where’s Mac?”

“Shower. He said something about being fresh for tomorrow, in case students try to stop by his office or something.”

“He showers like twice a day.”

“Once is a rinse after his run, and once is… I don’t know, full throttle, soap and stuff. Now Riley honey, do you need more hangers?”

“I think this is okay. Are you sure you guys are okay with me staying here?”

“Absolutely. Besides, Jack ain’t half as fun. How about tomorrow you bring her by the bakery Jack? And once we close up, we can take you to a nice dinner. Do you want me to book you a spa day? I know this great spa in NoHo, me and Mac spent a saturday or two there before-”

“Oh that’s not necessary- I mean, I don’t know how I’d pay you back right now-”

“Pay me back for what? Next you’re gonna ask if you can pay rent, and the answer is no before you get any funny ideas.”

“I don’t know-”

“Mac can go with you if you wanted,” he says. “Or I know a few girls you’d really get along with, you could probably use a few girlfriends while your here.”

“You really don’t have to do all that,” Riley says. 

“And I really don’t have to let you stay in my house. It’s what family does. It’s gettin late, so I’ll text them tomorrow, set up a lunch date for you.”

‘Oh- Okay, sure,” Riley says, looking at Jack surprised and Jack scoffs.

“And Mac says  _ I’m  _ overbearing,” he mutters, but Jasper only fondly rolls his eyes, walking out of the room and back to his own, hidden behind double doors. She gets a glimpse of the giant bed inside, the lush fluffy carpet that definitely wasn’t in any other room. Though as soon as she gets a glimpse into the most private part of Macs life, the doors shut. Riley finds herself fascinated with the space, wondering what it looked like inside, how much of Macs stuff was scattered around the room. “ _ Riley _ , I love you and all but I am not doing all this cleaning up alone.”

“Oh, uh yeah, sorry.” She nods, getting up, climbing out of bed, and starts helping arrange her clothes, and wipe down all the available surfaces. Her and Jack even vacuum. Jack stays until past midnight, long past when Frankie goes to sleep. Mac sulks out around 12.15, wearing something that looked a little too big for his physique, and joggers that fit too perfect. He sits on Riley’s floor and she laughs.

“You look exhausted.”

“Yeah, and the school year hasn’t even started yet.” 

She laughs, Mac leaning back on the carpet, stretching his arms over his head. Riley laughs, nudging his side with her foot. Mac giggles. “Aren’t you tired? Jack give her a break for the night.”

“Where’s Jasper?”

“Oh he knocked out 3 binders into organizing. He never sleeps very late… well if he does, it’s usually my fault.”

“Don’t ask what that means, I don’t want to hear the answer,” Jack says, and Mac gets a sly look, or as much as his face will allow, clearly exhausted. She sits on the floor and lays beside him. 

“This is comfortable.”

“I know, that’s why I’m laying here.”

“You gonna spend the night here?”

“Well, this is my house. I spend the night here every night.”

She giggles. “I meant on my floor.”

“No, just thought I’d check on you. Was Jessie overwhelming? He was saying something about making you a lunch date… and something about us going to a spa?”

“Yeah he uh…. Offered to get me friends and that he knows some girls my age, and do I need a spa day? Why don’t we go to dinner tomorrow after he closes the bakery.”

Mac laughs. “Sounds like Jess… I can tell him not to.”

“He’s doing something nice. What’s the worst that can happen? I don’t like those girls, I never speak to them again? Not a big deal.”

“The spa is nice. Great Jones Spa in NoHo? Really relaxing.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say something like that.”

“He says ‘lets go to an expensive spa’ and well, who am I to say no? Besides I didn’t know I needed a massage so badly until I was on a massage table getting one.”

“A massage sounds nice.”

“We’ll book the appointment tomorrow.”

“Good… go to bed, me and Jack are almost done.”

Mac hums, Jack fixing one of her drawers. He sits up and Riley does too. “I’ll see you in the morning. Night Riles, night Jack.”

Mac stands, stretching and then helps Riley up. He wanders back to his bedroom after hugging them goodnight, shutting the doors behind him. He climbs onto the king size bed, shuffling to the center, where Jasper was turned on his side sleeping, head buried into one of the million people. He looked so peaceful, so delicate as he was sound asleep. Mac hugs him tightly as he tries to get comfortable, breathing in his scent.

Jasper shifts, burrowing deeper into his spot. Mac smiles, and he thinks for a moment that he’s lucky: lucky to have someone who loves him so much, lucky to have someone who loves his family as much as they love him, lucky to have someone who snuggles closer in his sleep. 

Mac smiles, rubbing his arm gingerly, tucking his face Jaspers back. “Love you,” he whispers. 

\- The next morning, around 5.30 AM - 

Mac listens as the shower turns off in their ensuite bathroom and finally forces himself out of the bed. The AC was on high, and he thinks Jasper would probably call him crazy for being cold. He sits up, rubs his arms, willing his body to move. He rolls until he’s to the edge of the bed, and finally sits on the edge. 

All he has to do is make the pot of coffee and put said coffee in a mug. Not hard, doesn’t even take long. Really, it takes no time at all. Jasper usually didn’t eat until 7 AM anyways, so he didn’t have to attempt to make any sort of breakfast food. 

Life like this was new- but Mac did it because he wanted to. He liked being able to kiss Jasper goodbye, liked knowing that he’d had his coffee in the morning. Maybe they weren’t  _ together  _ all the time anymore- maybe it felt a little bit like a loss of security, as Mac taught summer courses, and Jasper was at the bakery, sometimes late into the evening- but it was okay. It was going to be okay… and he was going to make it downstairs to the coffee pot, if only his legs would just move. 

Jasper opens the door, finding Mac standing on wobbly, sleepy legs and scoops him into his arms. Mac makes an incoherent noise, wrapping his arms around Jasper, almost missing as he kisses him, moving his hand to cup his face, as if making sure. He pulls back confused.

“You shaved the beard off?”

“I think it was time to go, rebuild the platform.”

“Beards gone?”

“Beards gone, Jones. You seem tired.”

“Exhausted. But, my classes are over, Frankie is probably going to sleep until 9, Jacks got Riley covered. I’ll make the coffee and come right back to bed.”

“That’s if you don’t fall asleep on the stairs.”

Mac smiles, Jasper placing a gentle kiss to his lips. “I’ll make it back to bed. Smell of coffee wakes you up after all. That’s just enough to pour the cup, say goodbye and make it back upstairs.”

“Awfully big wiff your taking.”

“Like snorting a line of cocaine.”

This makes Jasper laugh, pulling Mac into a tight hug, Mac laughing too as he holds on. His hands run over Jaspers bare shoulders, moving away after a moment, kissing his cheek. “Get dressed, baby face,” he says, kissing Jasper once more and trudging miserably downstairs. He sets up the coffee pot, looking outside, the sun rising over the hudson. He could see a cruise ship, muddling along to the pier, towering over the other little boats, probably just barely fit through the bridge. Mac watches it, as it inches forward in the water. Empty, bright flags isolated as they wave. Nobody to accompany them, or laugh with them. No children running on it’s deck. And he thinks that within just a few short days, the boat will fill. The crew will come on. The captain will have missed the water by then. That the boat will find a sense of fulfillment. 

Cadmium plops herself down at his legs, and goes back to sleep. Mac glances down, and in the process realizes he’s filled the coffee pot up too much. He shuts the water off and pours out the water he doesn’t need. Then sets up the filter and leans against the counter as he waits for it to brew. He stares outside the window, at the sky, at the cruise ship. He hugs his arms to his ribs. 

Jasper comes downstairs but he doesn’t notice until he says something, Mac jumping a bit, looking next to him. “Did you say something?”

Jasper laughs, leaning in a similar pose. “Yeah, I asked what you were thinking about.” 

Mac nods, leaning back against the counter, his head on Jasper. “Riley is kind of like a cruise ship,” he says. 

“What?”

“Yeah, okay, hear me out. Ridiculous analogy time-”

“Jack would be so proud,” Jasper teases. 

Mac laughs a bit. “Yeah. Anyways, cruise ships are like… vast, proud, tall standing statures that represent things like family and love and happiness and being carefree. Right? But their are periods of time when they’re filled to the brim with people, and then times where they’re just alone. You know? Nobody but the captain who’s steering the ship.”

“Well-”

“You know what I mean.”

“Okay, okay. How does this all relate back to Riley?”

“Well, she just… broke up with someone, she feels like me and Jack are far from her… she feels alone, like she has nobody-”

“The empty ship.”

“Right. She’s the empty ship right now. But I don’t…  _ want  _ her to be. I don’t want her to feel like she’s just temporary entertainment.”

Jasper nods, wrapping his arm around Macs waist, kissing his temple. “She’ll be okay. She needs some R&R, time to decompress.”

“Yeah..”

“She’ll be okay, Mac.”

“I know… Riley’s strong. So.. Maybe after I’m done with the office and meet with some of the grad students I’m working with this semester, I can come by with Frankie.”

“Don’t put poor Frankie to work,” Jasper coos. “We can meet at dinner, I’m going to close early, take Riley out. Where do you want to go?”

“Shouldn’t you ask Riley that?”

“You’re always my first priority love.”

Mac hums, snuggling into Jaspers shoulder. He thinks he’ll just get to rest there when the coffee machine beeps as it sputters to a halt. Mac makes a noise of pity, Jasper folding him into his chest, both arms wrapped around Mac. 

“You know you don’t have to wake up this early for me, right?”

“Want to, otherwise I’d miss you all day like crazy, and I’d drive myself nuts if I didn’t know if you got your coffee, or if you took breakfast with you, or at least left okay.”

“And I couldn’t ask for a better husband.”

“No you couldn’t,” Mac says, muffled into Jaspers button up. He sits up, kisses him quick, but lingers in his arms. He finally sits up, and goes to pour the coffee in Jaspers to go mug, adding just the right amount of cream and sugar. Jasper grabs a few pastries from the microwave and puts them in the tupperware to take with him. “No fruit?”

“I have some peaches to spare at work. And I’ll probably make an omelette too. It’s Michelle’s last morning shift with me.” Jasper pouts and Mac laughs, pulling Jasper into one more kiss, leaning against him. “She’ll have more mornings with you. She’s only a Junior this year, so you still have plenty of time.”

Jasper smiles, dipping his head as he steals one more kiss, he goes to put his breakfast in his tote bag, alongside his wallet, and his coffee mug which he checked was sealed shut. “I do… call me if you need anything love, okay?”

“Of course,” Mac mumbles, walking Jasper to the door, his hand laced with Jaspers free hand. “Have the best day for me.”

“Get some sleep, please. And don’t worry too much about Riley. She’s just heartbroken.” 

Mac nods, squeezing Jaspers fingers before letting him go. He shuts the door to their apartment, before going upstairs, and crawls back to bed, leaving the door open. Cadmium settles on the floor on his side of the bed, Mac is far too tired to roll to the center, and just falls asleep on the mountains of pillows on his side, curled up under the blanket. 

Riley wakes up to find Frankie had made french toast for breakfast, and was plating it with berries. “Pro Tip, take full advantage of their food in the fridge. Jasper only shops everything fresh- try this berry.” She holds out the container and Riley doesn’t dare to say no, and takes a raspberry and pops it in her mouth, eyes widening. “Right? He made a compote, but I fear death if I touch it,” she teases. Her voice takes on a similar lilt to Macs when he’s joking around.

“Yeah? He’s serious about his compote, huh?”

“Prettyyyy serious. Usually he uses it to make this cheesecake Mac loves. Raspberry lime with the blackberry compote on top? Killer.”

“I guess I’ll have to try it sometime.”

“He rarely goes more than a month without making it. You won’t miss it,” She says, smiling softly. “Mac says you’ve never been here, you guys always cancel before flying in.”

Riley is looking through the cabinets for syrup, Frankie pulling open a lazy-suzy and offering her the large glass bottle. The syrup looked almost orange in the light, it smelled heavenly. 

“They were in Vermont a couple weeks ago.”

“They were?”

“Yeah, just to go hiking for the weekend. So, you never answered my question-”

“It wasn’t really a question.”

“How come you guys never visit?”

“Life is busy.”

“We all make time.”

“Sometimes making time can be hard.”

“Mac has a tendency to run, it’s never personal.”

“How do you know him again?”

“I took care of him when he was a little teenager at MIT, he was all lanky, and had this smart mouth, and never wanted to focus on anything. I tried to help him early on, but he didn’t really like me until one day he needed me to buy him cold medicine. I was pretty excited to learn he lived so close to Boston now.”

“He lives pretty far from California.”

“He’s happier, I think.”

“I guess. It just feels like he sort of up and left.”

“You knew he was getting married, right?” Frankie asks. “People get married, they move. Create new lives together.”

“Sure, but it’s not that simple.”

Frankie nods, pouring the syrup over her french toast and sitting down at the counter. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to visit. New York City is pretty great.”

“Yeah it’s not so bad,” Riley agrees, giving an awkward pressed smile. Mac comes downstairs a few minutes later, in running shorts and a tshirt. He’s grabbing Cadmiums leash.

“Wanna eat first?” Frankie offers. 

“After my run, it’s like you don’t even  _ know  _ me,” he teases and she smiles. “Morning Riles, did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I did. Is Jack just next door?”

“Yeah, he is. Finish your breakfast, head on over. He’s the door to the right.” Mac rubs her shoulder, Cadmium trotting about legs, whining excitedly for their run. Mac laughs. “I have to go before Cadmium loses her mind.” He straps on her leash, and they trot out the door. Riley nods, watching him go.

“I think it’s just hard,” She tells Frankie. 

“What?”

“It’s hard to accept that he moved on, and lives a life without us here. I guess I never really… thought about what would happen  _ after  _ he got married. Maybe I thought he’d stay in California forever, and even if he left our job… he would still be a few doors down.”

Frankie nods. “I always thought that too. But he’s not very good at staying in places he doesn’t want to be. Listen… I don’t know what set boy genius off, he won’t tell me, but… he doesn’t leave without good reason. And I don’t think he did it to hurt you, mostly just to protect himself. Sometimes that’s just what you need to do. Protect yourself. Find safety in places that aren’t your usual bubble.” 

Riley nods, and she knows she ran off from California too, to be here with her family. She had missed him and Jack so much, but she wished she understood more. She wished he had stayed, instead of leaving to Ohio. Instead of getting engaged when he wasn’t with them. When he was there with him. She wished he’d come back more often. 

“Hey! You’re all up,” Jack cheers as he waltz in. “I got some plans for me and you today, Riles. I hope you’re ready to be walkin all day,” Jack says. “And wear something light, because it’s going to be hoooot!”

Riley laughs, looking to Frankie who’s smiling. “Breakfast?” Frankie offers.

“Nah I ate. Wheres Mac?” 

“He went on a run with Cadmium,” Riley says and Jack nods.

“Makes sense. He’s been trying to extend his laps, so he’s usually gone for a while. Come on, finish eating. I’ll be in the living room.” 

\- The Bakery - 

Jasper is on the phone as the morning rush has wrapped up, and Michelle was just sitting by the counter texting. He glances out, listening to Julius.

“Right… I don’t know, it’s just… she seems sort of stand off ish, I can’t really tell how Mac’s feeling- well no, I don’t know… I don’t know what… I don’t what’s going through his mind right now. I mean his day was perfectly normal until she showed up to our door, I don’t know how he feels or what he’s thinking. I don’t know what’s going through his head other than he thinks that she’s uh- a uh- god what did he say? A cruise ship! He said she was like a cruise ship… no it’s a long story. It was this big analogy about Riley and how she was like a cruise ship because… yeah it was… well he talks to Jack too much so I’m not surprised. I mean,  _ i  _ talk to Jack too much so I don’t know how I didn’t make the analogy myself. Jack has a way with rubbing off on you, you know? I know you like Jack. He’s a great guy, Jules…. No I’m just worried about Mac is all.

“I should be worried right- I mean, I’m always there around him, making sure he’s eaten and he’s okay. And now I’m here and… I don’t know how he’s doing at work, I can’t see if he’s okay… It just freaks me out. I know… I needed to do this- he wanted me to do this. He loves the bakery, he spent the whole summer here with me. I just… I know he doesn’t need me to worry like this but I can’t help it, I love him and I- Okay, but it’s all I’ve done for two, almost three years now. You know? I worry about him. I fret over him. I make sure he’s eaten, I don’t leave his side, he’s always been within 5 minutes of me since he left California because of his dad. I haven’t left his side, and now he feels… _ far. _

“Well…. Maybe it is rational, it doesn’t always feel rational. He’s setting up his office and- I know, I know… It’s just different that’s all. Different isn’t…” Jasper pauses, taking a deep breath. “It’s not always bad.” He felt so much like he used to, when he first ran away from home, figuring out what it meant to be his own person. “We’ll adjust. I just… I worry too much. And without him around, it’s harder to turn off my… cold side,” he settles for, peaking at Michelle. He trusts her, but he doesn’t want her to overhear him talking about his old job. He doesn’t want her to have questions that he can’t answer. “Yeah… Okay, I know- you don’t have to. Jules- No I’m serious. You really don’t have to come stay- okay… okay. I promise. Yes, I’ll call again this week, I promise. I love you too. Bye.”

He hangs up and sighs, leaning forward on his forearms on the counter, bowing his head to press there just a moment. He tries to clear his head. Reason that Mac was okay, that he wasn’t in trouble, that he’d probably eaten by now, gotten home from his run and fed cadmium. That he was spending time with Riley or Jack…. Or Frankie and him had gone to his office. He reasons that Mac was fine. That Mac didn’t need him, especially not to hover. For his own sanity he starts on the next batch of matcha cakes. He tries not to think too much- about what he’d be doing now if he had kept the bakery as a nightime gig. He tries not to think too much about if Mac’s okay, if he’s okay with Riley being there, if Riley’s issues are bigger than an ex boyfriend- if it’ll put mac or jack in any danger or trouble.

He tries not to think about Mac leaning against the counter that morning… talking about how Riley felt empty, and how he might feel that way too. He wonders if Mac is fairing with things better than him- he reasons that Mac seemed so unbothered, so supportive of Jasper that he was probably fine. That he was crazy. He thinks that he’s thinking too much. 

\- Hudson Yards -

Mac lays back from the edge of the bed, arms over his head, and he thinks if Jasper were home he’d already have waltzed in and placed kisses along his stomach until he giggled. Probably would say they need to set up their offices soon. Say that they were ‘running late’ even if they had no real schedule. 

Mac sighs, hand running over their messy sheets. He smooths it out absentminded before standing up and making the bed. Adjusting the pillows, pulling the covers tight, fold the top just enough to be presentable. He knows that nobody will see it, but he knows that it makes Jasper feel better. That the bed was made, and that the pillows were fluffed, and that the room was tidied. He takes their dirty laundry, puts it in the basket, smiles when he sees Cadmium waiting outside the door. 

Riley wasn’t downstairs when he got there. Frankie says she left with Jack. “I need to be back at the lab by tomorrow,” she says.

He nods. “Okay… we should get going then.”

“Don’t you want to eat first? I made breakfast, using those amazing Berries that Jasper always gets his hands on.”

“Did you use the marmalade too? He made this amazing marmalade and oh my god, it’s orgamsic.”

“I didn’t  _ know  _ that. I saw the compote though.”

“Oh yeah, he’s going to make cheesecake soon. He said last night he wanted to make Riley a nice one, something special.”

“She’s angry with you, you know that right?”

“Yeah.. they all are a little angry… But they like him. They’ve always liked him. I don’t know what they thought was going to happen when I got married.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Yeah…” The door to the apartment opens, Riley jogging in. 

“Have you seen my fit bit? I think I took it off last night but I have no idea where.”

Mac takes Riley upstairs, holding her arm gently. “You left it in the bathroom, but it looks Just like Jess’ so I thought maybe he’d used the bathroom while i was showering, took it off.”

\- About 2 Years Ago -

Jaspers hand traces Macs lower back as they walk up the stairs, watching Mac’s eyes wander around the house, his one hand tracing the wall, as if checking to see if the paint texture was right. His eyes take in every aspect, keep falling on the bannister, the living room below. At the top of the stairs, he turns and looks over the bannister outside the window.

“There’s a bathroom and the bedrooms…” The realtor is saying, as she waits for them, Jasper standing beside, the two looking over the room, out the window at the Hudson, the city streets outside. 

“I think this is it…” Mac whispers. 

Jasper nods, kissing his temple. “Why don’t we look at the rooms first.”

“Don’t you think so?”

“Doesn’t hurt to be sure.”

Mac nods, and they walk through the house, following the realtor to the bathroom, as she points out it’s amenities and features. Jasper winces as he hits his ankle against the toilets base. 

“Ow,” he mumbles, and Mac rubs his arm absentmindedly as he follows the realtor out to the master bedroom, Jasper following. He glances down as he thinks something brushes his ankle but sees nothing on his leg and shrugs it off. 

Mac and Jasper sit facing each other on the hotel bed, pictures matched over each sheet of paper. “The Hudson Yards is close to both of the locations you want for your bakery…”

“And it had all those bedrooms. We’d never have to move… you know, if we still wanted those kids…” 

Mac smiles, glancing up. “I thought we did… What about the Rockefeller one? It had that really cool lounge room.”

“A lot of traffic because of the moma. Little privacy because of it too. How about that one in midtown? Near a lot of great restaurants.”

“Loud and crowded and it smelled kind of funny.”

“Fair…” Jasper gets up and goes to pull out his Pajamas. “Lets order in,” he says. “New York style pizza.”

“Mm… Pizza sounds amazing,” Mac says, watching as Jasper takes off his pants. He glances down as he pulls on his sweats, pausing.

“Shit-”

“What?”

“My anklets gone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, okay, don’t freak out- hey, don’t freak out. Where did you see it last?”

“I know for sure I had it when we got ice cream before the Hudson yards… and I know I had it when we walked into that pent house because it got stuck to my jeans and i fixed it.”

“Okay… so maybe it’s at the Hudson yards penthouse. We can call the realtor in the morning,” Mac says, crawling to the edge of the bed and reaching out for Jasper. “Come on… We’re going to find it tomorrow.”

“That’s if someone didn’t take it,” Jasper said, eyes welling up and Mac shakes his head.

“Hey, we’re going to find it. First thing tomorrow morning.”

“Wait here, please,” Mac asks the realtor and she nods, waiting outside the penthouse as Jasper has already opened the door and strove in. Ignoring all the pretty and the marble on the walls, the perfect, shiny wood panels. He looks frantically between the kitchen and the bedroom outside the kitchen. 

Mac goes upstairs, carefully searching each stair, and tracing the banister and following the carpet to the master bed and the bathroom attached. He follows it all the way back to the full bath outside the bedroom, looking closely along the floor.

He gasps, as he finds the gold, charm filled anklet by the toilet. “Jess!” he calls frantically, rushing out of the bathroom, as Jasper rushes upstairs.

“Did you find it? Oh my god you found it!”

“It was in the bathroom, it must have fell off when you hurt yourself yesterday.” 

Jasper nods, Mac kneeling to put it back on his right ankle, where it always was, hasn’t left since he got it- From Carter Sans, his best friend who left suddenly years ago. 

“Give me the safety pin on your jacket,” Mac says softly, Jasper not hesitating to take the decorative safety pin off his jean jacket, handing it to Mac. Mac clips the metal together, taking out his pocket knife and using it to bend the metal so it was guaranteed to stay clipped together. “There now it’s never coming off-”

\- present day -

“Eeever again. Extra tight,” Mac says, securing the fit bit on her wrist. Riley nods, smiling. 

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Anything you need, I’m here for you Riley.”

“You’re just saying that because I went through a breakup…”

“How recent was it?” Mac asks softly. “All you said was he cheated.”

“Around May… I went to help him and mama in Paris with catching a target and… well, I was using his phone when she texted him she missed him with a picture of her in her underwear.”

Mac nods, pursing his lips. “You know… he wouldn’t have done it if he really loved you,” Mac says softly. “Distance doesn’t matter, not when they love you… You’re worth more than someone who hurts you like this.”

She nods. “I know. It’s just a lot… I just got overwhelmed.”

“It’s okay to be overwhelmed… it’s okay to need to get away.”

“You would know.”

Mac takes a deep breath. “Yeah… I would know. And I’m saying it’s okay, that my door is open to help you through it. You don’t need to feel the way I did after my dad came back into my life… Lonely, scared, heartbroken, like I had no control over my life and what was happening to me.”

She nods. “Jacks waiting.”

“Right… Uh… I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Absolutely.”

He goes back downstairs and him and Frankie take the train to NYU. 

“You okay?” She asks. 

“I’m okay…” he admits.

\- The petit Triumph Bakery, 7 PM - 

Riley looks around the small bakery as everyone seems busy with something- the customers busy with their work or conversations, the girl at the counter busy refilling the trays, checking on the coffee. Jasper seems busy as he rushes from a back door behind the counter to a small hallway just off to the side in the bakery and through a door. He was gone in the flash that she saw him.

“I’ll wait here,” she says as Jack offers to follow him to whatever door he disappeared to. 

“You sure? Why don’t I get you something then. You haven’t eaten all  _ day _ ,” Jack frets. “You want coffee, or-”

“It’s okay Jack, really.”

The girl behind the counter looks up as if listening, and Jack doesn’t even seem to mind. Riley didn’t think it was any of her business.

“It’s not okay, you’re not talkin to me, not eatin- you won’t tell me what’s going on-”

“Jack, let it go.”

“No, you came here for a reason and-”

“Mr.  _ Dalton _ ,” Jasper says, his voice booming, everyone in the room takes a moment to acknowledge Jaspers presence. “Now I know for a fact that Riley is our  _ guest _ , and we’re not lookin to make her uncomfortable are we?” his voice softens as he goes and Jack resigns a bit. “Now why don’t you take a seat with Riley, and I’ll bring y’all out some coffee and you can try a new cake I’m whippin up. Michelle, why don’t you come over here and say hi to Macs younger sister.”

The girl behind the counter comes over, standing just a bit behind Jasper, who ushers her forward as if she were his daughter, his pride and joy. “This is Michelle, she’s worked for me about a year now.”

“Hi,” she says softly, smiling and sticking her hand forward in awkward 20-year-old fashion. Riley shakes her hand, gives an equally awkward smile.

“Hi, I’m Riley.”

Michelle nods, looking to Jasper, who laughs as if resigned. The bell to the door rings and they both look over. “Go take that customers order while I set them up until we close.”

“Sure.”

Jasper disappears behind the counter, Jack and Riley sitting at a table just in front of the counter. Riley eyes Jasper, the way he moves with such command, how his eyes seem to take inventory of everyone, as if searching for a threat.

“Sometimes he just can’t turn that agent side off, he has trouble with it,” Jack says softly. “He wants to trust people, but you know, part of just keeps searching for signs of being unable to trust someone or… whatever it is.”

Riley nods. “What about Mac?”

“He does better with it, but he’s always had this opening trusting heart. It’s not a surprise that’s hes doing better out in the world than Jasper.”

“Right.. I don’t know, do you think he likes me?”

“Who?”

“Jasper. Just… feels like he’s being surface level nice.”

Jack scoffs. “Giving you a place to stay and making sure you’re comfortable is not surface level nice.”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“I think your feeling is wrong,” Jack says. And he seems absolutely certain. “I think he sees you as family and he wants to take care of you.”

Riley nods, pressing a smile. Jasper brings out the coffee and cake on a tray, Jack looking intrigued. 

“Poppyseed lemon filling in a black raspberry cake,” he says. “Let me know what you think? I’ll be with Michelle.”

Riley nods, and looks to Jack who smiles as he goes. “You know, you really should just give him a chance. It’ll make Mac happy.”

“I’ll…. Do my best,” she says a bit, giving him a taught smile. 

Michelle is helping Jasper make the next batch of meringue pops, scooting closer to him. “Did you do it?”

“Do what.”

“What you were telling me last week,” she says softly.

Jasper squints as if trying to remember and shakes his head confused. “What did I tell you last week?”

“You and Mac got an adoption lawyer,” she whispers and he takes a deep breath and nods in recognition.

“We’re still… looking at options,” he says softly. “Honestly, with Riley here, I don’t know if he… still wants to really invest all the time for it right now…”

She nods. “Do you?”

Jasper smiles. “Of course I do,” he says. “Besides, I think Mac really wants it, I just don’t want him to be overwhelmed.”

“Right…. But maybe he won’t.”

“Maybe,” he agrees, smiling. “There was one woman who’s having a new born, and he really… really was into talking to her. So maybe we’ll get an appointment.”

“You should,” she says softly.

“We want a girl.”

“Is the woman carrying a girl?”

“Supposedly.”

She laughs.

“What, its like never 100 percent right? Like that baby could very well pop out and  _ not  _ be.”

“That is so rare,” Michelle says. 

“Is it though?”

“Yes! Doctors are super thorough about this stuff nowadays. It’s not like every other baby is popping out the opposite gender of what the doctors expected it to be.”

“But-”

“No.”

“Okay fine. Maybe you’re right. But-”

“No I’m definitely right. So you definitely want a girl?”

“Yes. For sure. Boys are hard to raise, and extra hormonal, or at least that’s what the parenting books said.”

“What if she’s hard to raise and extra hormonal?”

“Well that’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because according to parenting books, even the hardest of girls are easier than hormonal sociopathic guys, and also I just want a little girl to spoil, and make flower crowns with.”

Michelle laughs. “Was that so hard to admit? I don’t think it was so hard to admit.”

“Not really. Are you taking any classes with Mac this semester?”

“Did you know all his classes are booked? I went to register a few weeks ago for his Physics 3 course, but only was able to make it into his chemistry 2.”

“You’re doing Architecture and Engineering double major?”

“Yeah, and then I want my masters in both.”

“Can you double major a masters?”

“I don’t know. I might just get a masters in interior design.”

“I can see you doing that. Are you going to do that internship?”

“Will you be covered?”

“I’m always covered, don’t worry about me.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Micho, I can handle it. Honestly, don’t worry. You should take it, it’s a great opportunity. And you’re more than capable, I’ve seen your homework, I’ve seen your drawings. You know what you’re doing, you know how to style a room, how to lay out a floor plan. You’re fantastic, don’t stop on  _ my  _ account.”

“I don’t know, I guess. You know, I just… It feels like everything is moving fast. I feel like I was a freshmen yesterday.”

“Life moves fast baby, you can’t stop it from moving. If you want to stay here full time- that’s up to you. I can’t  _ stop  _ you. But… You know, you need to do whats right for your career, take the steps you need to take to make your life a little better.” 

“Right…” She takes a deep breath. “Steps I need to take to make my life a little better. I’m not leaving though. I like being here.”

“And I love that you like being here.”

Jasper finishes the tray of meringue pops, goes to put them in the freezer, so they’ll harden quicker. Michelle leans against the counter. 

“And my parents live all the way in michigan,” She says. “So it’s like, i’m on this lonely little boat.”

“You’re not alone, you have me and Mac and our big texan friend.”

“I do, don’t I?”

“Of course you do. Don’t worry so much. And no matter what, we’re still going to be here.”

“I might move for grad school.”

“And? You’re an absolutely amazing person. Anyone is lucky enough to be your friend, or mentor, or boyfriend-”

“Or girlfriend.”

“Or girlfriend,” Jasper says in a soft assuring voice. “Anyone you meet is lucky to have you in their lives, and before you know it, you’re going to own your own firm and they’re all going to be following your lead.” 

She smiles softly, and opens her arms for a hug, Jasper pulling her tight against his chest. “Thank you Jasper.”

“Always got you, Michelle.”

She smiles, wiping a small tear from her eye, and smiling. He scoots her along outside, Jack rounding up some drinks for customers. Jasper takes over, and Michelle starts to fill up the trays of dessert again. He stops by with the pot of coffee in front of Riley, refilling her cup. Instead, she squints at him just slightly. 

“Your face is different,” she says. 

“Excuse me?”

“Did you shave?”

Jasper narrows his eyes. “Did Mac put you up to this?”

“No-”

“Oh my god, tell  _ Mac _ that’s he totally pathetic and that it grows back! In fact, i’ll probably have enough stubble by the end of the night-”

“Mac didn’t say anything,” Riley says, getting a confused smile.

“He’s a baby, I cannot believe he did this to you!”

“I just have never seen you without a beard!”

“You so have, there’s no way you’ve  _ never  _ seen me with a fresh shave- well it’s definitely not fresh, I can feel it growing back.” 

Riley laughs, hesitating before reaching up and running her fingers along his stubbly jaw. “It is growing back. It’s a little shadow-y.”

“You’re just not used to seeing men who can really grow out a beard. Mac? Baby faced. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him shave more than… 5 times  _ maybe _ .”

Riley laughs. “I don’t think I’ve seen him shave  _ ever _ .”

“Jack with his stubble right now thinks he’s really let himself go.”

“He has no finesse to it like you do.”

“I told him, clean shave along the cheeks doesn’t hurt. Nobody listens to me.”

Riley smiles. “I mean, if I had a beard, I’d totally take your advice.”

Jasper laughs, getting pulled away by the demand of customers, Jack finding his way from the kitchen behind the counter- at least, Riley is pretty sure it’s a kitchen. She eyes up Jasper, wondering what he thinks of her, if he trusts her. He smiles when he sees her staring, and she smiles back, ducking her head. So maybe he wasn’t so bad. He might even be… an okay guy. 

**\- NYU School of Arts and Science -**

Mac sits at the table with the 14 Juniors and 7 Seniors that he has on his lab team this year. All 7 seniors have been with him since the previous semester, and they discuss at length the research they were doing with Mac, and Mac fills in what they can’t. He had more students signed up, but he had split the 14 seniors he picked last year into 2 groups, for 2 meetings with the early undergrad students.

“You’re all lucky to be here and have the opportunity to work with my physics students- a lot of them are in the honors program, are applying to the best schools with the best physics and chemistry programs across the country. They understand the work, they ask questions when they need help, and they are genuinely passionate about what they’re doing. I presume if you make it into my study you’ll be paired up with my students. This year, we want to focus a lot of physical-chemical relationships, and their affects not only on the body, but the world around us. We’re going to have two different groups-”

“How did I do?” he whispers to Sabrina, who laughs.

“You did fine, very stern, the board members usually like that,” she teases.

“What board members?”

“The secret ones watching through the cameras.”

“Right, how could I forget?” he smiles.

“I know I’m not Rebecca but-”

“No buts, you know what you’re doing, and you’re better than most of the guys in this lab. Don’t doubt yourself for a second. And yes, we all loved Rebecca, but we love you too. And you know, you’re always welcome at the bakery, or at our house.”

“I know,” she says softly. “Just, my life’s so busy-”

“And that’s  _ okay _ . I’m just telling you our door is always open, just like Rebecca.”

“Hey boss, what are we doing with the freshmen?” Santiago asks and Mac looks over, and shrugs.

“I don’t know, what do you do with 18 year olds?”

“You’re only like 26. What did you like at 18?”

“I don’t know, I left MIT to join the military-”

“You dropped MIT before your first semester?”

“What? No, I was going into my third semester. I finished high school just after I turned 16, and started that summer with my courses. Then I guess I had some… revelation. Anyways, I was angry at the world and in the army at 18, so I wouldn’t exactly be the one to ask.”

“Give them ice cream, everyone loves ice cream,” Sabrina says. 

“Sure, everyone loves ice cream, but theres one problem, we don’t  _ have  _ ice cream,” Santiago says.

“So… Okay, lets play some introduction games, we still have a ton of rock salt. And then Sabrina, get a bag of ice and 2 large cartons of heavy cream, some vanilla and anything else you want for ice cream. On the way back, go by my office and get the gallon baggies and the half gallon baggies. Yeah?”

“We’re making ice cream?”

“Eighth grade level science but always a lot of fun.”

“Do you do this at home?” Sabrina teaches and Mac laughs. 

“No, Jessie knows this lady who makes this amazing home made ice cream, and we buy tubs from her. Anyways, go, while we get them all settled and talking about themselves.”

Mac hands her his credit card, and Sabrina leaves.

“How were the new students?” Frankie asks, Mac handing her a cup of ice cream.

“They’re okay, they all seem nervous, and a little jittery. Some were more excited than others- where’d you get the new coffee machine?”

“Your husband. He must have ordered it as a surprise, I got the package just after you left.”

Mac smiles. “He would… these file organizers are nice, definitely add color.”

She nods, showing him how she organized everything, explaining where everything was. Mac makes sure his binders are in the order he prefers them. And all the desks are wiped, all the computers are set, the wifi was good, everything was pretty, and the k cups had a little rack. There was a mini fridge, that Mac told Frankie he’d put stuff in when he was ready. 

“Can you stay the night again? I’ll make sure you’re on the earliest train home.”

“No, I should go back tonight. Besides, Smitty already misses me.”

Mac laughs. “I already miss you and you haven’t even left yet.”

Frankie hugs him tight, Mac hugging her back. “Call the second you need anything. If I can’t make it, Smitty can.”

“Thank you, Frankie.” 

“Always, boy Genius. Now lets catch the subway back home, so I can catch the train.”

**\- The Petit Triumph Bakery -**

Jasper locks the front door, Michelle lingering in the front to let any remaining customers out. She takes down the sign, Jasper moving to the back to do the dishes that were left. Riley wants to offer to help, but she doesn’t know that Jasper would take it. He’d smile and tell her to just stay put, to relax, to enjoy herself there. 

She hears a door down that little dark hallway open, light flooding through and Mac appears, holding a full bag, but what was in it, she didn’t know. 

“Hey Riles, how was your day?”

“It was nice. The bakery is like… oddly relaxing.”

Mac smiles, sitting down across from her. Jack comes out of the office, putting the tills back in the register. 

“Hey Mac,” Jack says. “Frankie leave?”

“Yeah she’s on the train back home. But today went really well, so... “ he shrugs. “I think a few freshmen are going to drop out of the study, or maybe switch majors but, I have faith in quite the few. Dr. Cheval said he had a few students not in the physics major specifically, but stood out to him from other STEM programs, and that 4 of them were in my Physics I course. Two of them are in the same course, the other two are in separate classes.”

“SO you’ve got your hands tied this semester?”

“Looks like it-”

“I knew I heard my angels voice,” Jasper calls, drying his hands as he comes out the back, Mac laughing, opening his arms as he walks over to Jasper, cupping his face as he kisses him hello. “How was it?” 

“Depends, do you mean the students, or that fabulous coffee machine you sent me?”

Jasper raises a brow. “Coffee machine?” 

“Don’t play dumb.”

Jasper laughs, kissing Mac, hand on his hip. “I meant the meeting with your students.” 

“You did send that coffee machine right..”

“No it was your secret admirer,” he teases.

“ _ Jessie _ .” 

Jasper laughs, kissing Mac deeply, the two wrapped up in their own world, Jack seems unphased as he moves around them. Riley looks away, looking to her phone. She can hear Mac laugh, picks up that they’re whispering about something. She picks up bits and pieces of the conversation:  _ just tell me… It’s not a big deal, Mac. When we get home- she’s gonna be okay.  _ She chances a glance and Mac is so starry eyed, watching Jasper, occasionally pressing kisses to his cheek as he holds him, as if Jasper is the most precious thing to ever exist for Mac. 

Mac pulls away, and hands Jasper the bag that he’d dropped by the table. “Go change. I’ll help Jack and Michelle finish up.” 

Mac sets about cleaning the tables, and making sure each chair is perfect. Riley stands up, grabbing her stuff. Mac rubs her shoulder as he passes and smiles. “Have you and Michelle spoken?”

“Yeah, Jasper seems to love her.”

“She’s a sweetheart, she’s one of us now.”

Riley smiles. “Well, I think she seems really nice.”

“I’m glad… Has he invited her to dinner?”

“Oh I don’t know. But… I wouldn’t mind,” Riley says, as if she had planned to say something else at first. (And maybe she wanted Mac and Jack all for herself, but what if she seemed mean for saying no?)

“Are you sure? We don’t have to-”

“If she’s like family to you, she’s like family to me.”

Mac nods, seeming to appreciate the sentiment. 

“So, I know you don’t have a change of clothes, but… if you wanted to come, we could get you a new outfit. We’re surprising Riley with a makeover for the reservation anyways. You two can go through a fashion show together. I mean, she’s not much older than you. She’s 24.”

Michelle looks up from the dishes she’s drying, peering at Mac as he talks. “Why?”

“Because we love you. I’m just saying, we would love to have you there.”

“You don’t have to be so nice to me. I mean, I know i’m not exactly the most popular student you have-”

“You’re part of this family as much as anyone else, Micho. Jasper loves you like your his baby, I think he’d appreciate it, more than anything he would so love if you were there. And, I don’t know who you hang out with but.. Riley doesn’t know anyone here. She sure could use a friend.” 

Michelle nods. “Fine… Don’t stain your button up,” Michelle warns. Mac laughs, and once their hands are dried, they go out to find Jasper in the suit Mac had brought him, fixing his watch, Riley seeming a bit panicked. Jack had changed too, into something nicer. 

“I don’t have anything this nice,” she says.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jasper promises. “Come on, we have an appointment for you.”

“And Michelle,” Mac adds.

“And Michelle,” Jasper says, nodding. 

“What kind of appointment?”

“Don’t worry about it, you’ll see once we get there.” 

It was a tall, glistening building. Everything about it shimmered, the pavement outside it was white marble, the floors inside, were pristine and clean. The chandeliers were crystal, it oozed the feeling of lavish people and expensive champagne. Riley watches as Jasper hands the keys to his expensive car to the valet guy. He catches up with them quick, Mac slowing down and pulling Jaspers arm around his waist. 

“Did you get the cash.”

“Cash is for dinner, this’ll be charged to our card probably by the end of the week.”

Mac nods, Riley walking a bit ahead of them. “So, what are we doing here?”

“This is where your outfit for the evening is coming,” Jasper says. “Kona Kelekolio was previously our version of Bozer, made all our cool spy clothes and accessories. She now works here, which does private designing, and makeovers. Kona herself is going to be dressing you guys up.”

Riley looks impressed, her lips parting in awe as they walk in. “I- I mean, I have dresses that I could-”

“Riles, just say thank you,” Jack whispers and she looks at Jasper and then Mac, eyes wide, at a loss for what to say. At a loss for what she wants to say. 

“I really don’t know how to thank you,” She says to Mac.

“Don’t thank  _ me.  _ It was Jessie's ideas.”

“Thank you Jasper… I really don’t think I deserve this.”

“Well you do. You work hard, and now you’re getting spoiled, and a nice new dress. And Michelle too.”

Michelle nods. “Dress up buddiiiies.” 

“Now I know that handsome fellow right there isn’t Jasper Sheriff,” a woman calls, clad in the nicest jeans and boots Riley has ever seen. Her dark skin was decked with gold jewelry, the nicest gold leaf top. She was  _ stunning  _ and sharp. 

“Well, the one and only,” he says, catching her in a hug. The two hug tight, almost regal. “You look better than ever.”

“Better than you remember?”

“Never fail to amaze me. Now, let me introduce you. This is my husband, Mac. His best friend Jack, and Jacks daughter Riley. And this is Michelle, she’s like a daughter to us.”

“Well, what a sweet little family you have. Your husband looks nice enough, Jack could do better-”

“Michelle and Riley need the make over. We’re going to Per Se by central park.” 

“Woooo damn, you gettin married again?”

“No.”

“Having a baby?”

Riley doesn’t miss the look the two exchange. “No.”

“She gettin married?” Kona points to Riley.

“God, no,” Riley interjects. “Is per se really nice or something?”

Kona laughs. “Girl, Per Se is 5 star and one of the damn nicest places in the city.”

“Riley and Mac are basically siblings, I just want her to have the best experience while she’s here. Maybe she’ll think of us and come back,” Jasper says. Mac laughs.

“Sure, or maybe she’ll give the rest of our little family the recommendation to visit too.”

“Are you kidding? I never met a better host than Mr. Sheriff. Anyone who doesn’t plan to come back is a fool. Now, lets get you girls dressed and ready.” 

Riley smiles, guilt wading through her gut.  _ Maybe she’ll think of us and come back.  _ She looks to Mac and Mac rubs her shoulder. “They’ll take us to the waiting room. Go, have fun with Michelle,” he assures, Jack smiling in assurance to supports Macs claim. She nods, Jasper standing beside Kona, assuring they get the best champagne in their room, and the good italian soda. Kona promises they’ll only get the best treatment.

And then the girls are whisked away. Riley looks to Michelle, she’s quiet, undoing the knot of hair on top of her head and letting long waves of black hair cascade down.

“Jasper said you’re like a daughter to him.”

“He’s like 6 years older than me, but honestly? He’s like my second dad.”

“And Mac?”

“Mac too. I’m not really a people person, so I guess it just… it’s nice that I always get to have them. Always get to have  _ Jasper  _ to talk to. He just always has the answer, and always knows what to say. I don’t know, he’s kinda jumpy and defensive sometimes, and I don’t really know why- I guess it has to do with whatever sketchy job he and Mac used to do, but…”

“Sketchy job?”

“Oh please, we all know they didn’t just do think tanking or law or whatever it is they did. Sometimes Jack talks about hostage situations, and his apartment has swords and giant gun, which no I don’t know what’s called, but it’s dumb how giant that gun is. Who needs something like that? That’s sniper shit.”

“Who’s we?”

“Oh uh… well, I got close to them because Mac does these study groups every semester. I’m still friends with a few people from that group. And obviously, I stuck it in pretty good with the two of them.”

Riley laughs. “That’s nice… I don’t know, I guess I haven’t spoken to Mac that much since he left.”

“Really? He talks about  _ you  _ all the time.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, he’s always telling us how great you and his best friend Bozer are. One time his computer went down, and he just spent the rest of the class talking about how much easier his life would be if you were there to fix it, and just told us all these stories about you.”

Riley feels her heart sink. Mac loved so hard, he didn’t even mean it. She forgot how much he  _ cared _ , how warm his touch was, even when he was so far away. 

“I miss him all the time,” she tells Michelle. “You know, ever since I got out of Prison… he was there to protect me. Welcomed me to his house, always told me stories as if I’d known him my whole life. He’d say all this crazy, sciency shit and I’d never know what he meant, but then he’d see that confused look on my face and slow down and explain. And not in a way that he talked down to me, but really, genuinely wanted to explain it to me.”

Michelle nods. “He went to see you guys at Christmas right?”

“Yeah, it was nice… to have him around,” she admits. “I just wish he could be around more. But he has a life of his own now, you know?”

“Yeah… doesn’t mean he forgot about you. Trust me, my brother left for college when I was 15 and it always felt like he didn’t even know who I was.”

“Or like he doesn’t remember you exist.”

“Exactly. And it’s like, hey I know you’re dating the hot chick, but we’re still your family. We’re still here. He went to school all the way in Oregon. Can you believe that?”

“Yeah, well, Mac moved from California to New York.”

“I moved from Michigan to New York… I guess I get it more now. He calls me now, twice a week.”

“I wish Mac called.”

She shrugs. “Jasper says he thinks people don’t need him around, thinks that they’re all okay without him. Maybe he just thinks you don’t need him anymore.”

“That’s not true.”

“You should tell him that.” 

“I don’t know… I just, he seems so happy that I’m here.”

“Are you sure? He keeps doing that smile he does when he’s worried.”

“What?”

“Yeah. he gets a worried smile. You haven’t noticed?”

“I suck at reading people,” Riley excuses, but she thinks she’d never  _ not  _ seen Mac worry, not enough to know when the smile was different. This makes Michelle laugh though. The girl was tough to crack, so it was nice to see her smile.

“He’s worried about you.”

“You think he had Jasper do all this?”

“Nah, I think Jasper did all this. If it was up to professor macgyver, he’d have taken us to a dive bar and wore one of his favorite plaid shirts.” 

“Yeah… this is just… it doesn’t feel like him. He’s not that guy- who loves all the extra lavish things. The party and glory and diamonds.”

“Well.. except that wedding ring. He loves that wedding ring of his. He flashes that baby whenever he gets a chance.”

Riley laughs. “Yeah, he loves it. Even if it’s all glitzy and glamorous. I guess… you know, he’s changed. He’s changed and that’s okay.”

“It is okay… brothers grow up eventually, and we don’t have to care for them the same way anymore.”

Riley nods, the two sitting in the dressing room as they await instruction. “You two done talking?” Kona teases. “Now I know just what’s going to work for you both.”

2 hours later, Riley and Michelle walk out looking fabulous as ever, giggling together. They looked absolutely perfect, and yet casually chic for a fancy evening out. Mac stands up and spins Riley, who clicks in a little circle in her Louboutin shoes with a happy squeal. 

“I’ve never felt this good in my  _ life _ .” 

Mac laughs. “You look amazing! Your cheeks have an expensive glow,” he encourages. Riley laughs, hugging him tightly and Mac lifts her. “You’re killer. You’re so going to make every man at that restaurant drop dead.”

Michelle smiles watching them, standing between Jasper and Jack. Jasper is smoothing out her edges, fixing her dress so it’s perfect. “Me and Michelle are officially a power black girl duo,” Riley says, Michelle laughing as Riley takes her hand. “Matty could literally never. You’re amazing,” she tells Jasper.

He smiles. “I’m glad, and I’m also glad that it seems like the champagne is working on both of them a little.”

“Hey! I only had a glass, but don’t tell my mama,” she says.

“I won’t,” Jasper promises, and Michelle giggles. “Now come on, I would hate to lose the perfect table I reserved of us. We still have an hour, but god knows, with traffic it’s going to be awful.”

**\- 2 days Later -**

Mac leaves a note on the counter, saying that he was upstairs on the apartment buildings rooftop deck. He goes to their normal couch by the railing, and he can see across the street at the highline that there seemed to be something going on. He doesn’t even tempt to open his book as he watches the crowd under the colorful lights, the music that’s starting to get loud, the clash of it all with the normal bustle of deep wailing sirens, of high honking cars, of tires screeching, and construction sights banging. And for a minute he’s almost compelled to cross the street and walk up the stairs and go over there.

Maybe have a drink.

Maybe talk to someone new.

But Mac sinks into the couch instead. It’s not like he’d have much fun there anyways. That’s usually what he tells himself. He knows Jasper will be home soon, but he left his phone downstairs. Choosing to escape the small stresses of his job, and the constant longing for attention he’s been feeling the past few days. Choosing to bury his nose in a book instead.

He’s successful until the door opens, and he constantly finds himself looking up to see if it’s Jack and Riley. If Jasper had come home. At some point he muses Bozer chancing a surprise visit, and then tells himself it’s wholly impossible. That Bozer would, but as of late, probably not to see Mac.

Then the door does open again, and Mac doesn’t let himself look up, keeping his eyes focused on the book, even as he feels the couch dip down beside him.

“I made you coffee,” he hears, glancing up to see Jasper sitting beside him, holding two mugs, one being Mac’s favorite pumpkin mug. He takes the mug and sets it on the table beside him, marks his place in his book, before leaning over and pressing a deep, yearning kiss to Jaspers lips. Jasper kisses back, slowly reaching over to put his own mug down before committing whole heartedly to the kiss. “I missed you,” Jasper says first, and oh it was such a relief to know that Mac wasn’t alone in this. In missing Jasper, even when he felt likr he shouldn’t. 

“I missed you too.”

“We haven’t really talked the past few days.”

“No, we haven’t…”

“Are you okay?”

Mac shrugs. “I could be better.” It was a little hard to focus with the sound of party poppers and people yelling in the background. “Wanna go party?” he teases.

“Trashy end of summer party by the hudson? Count me out.”

Mac laughs. “Why? We could get super drunk, forget we live across the street and just find a hotel.”

“Or we could stay here, I can hold my super sober husband, and he can tell why he stayed home when Jack and Riley were out all day. And are still out.”

“I had a lot of work to do. I mean… I guess I just don’t want them to be unimpressed with me. A new bio teacher is coming in this semester and apparently the board loves him, he is critically perfect on paper. I want to be critically perfect on and off paper, I want students to love me. I want to secure my place and get tenure. I just… don’t want to not put in the work and than cry about it later, you know?”

“Sure, but… I think you’re underestimating yourself. Students already love you, already are talking about you. All your classes are booked, you’re super popular, for a starting professor, you’ve got a pretty decent sized research group.”

“Yeah I guess…”

“You get along with the kids, you know what you’re talking about.”

“People question my PhD, what I used to do. Who I used to work for…”

“Because they know you blow everyone else out of the water.”

Mac laughs, picking up his mug, and tucking his legs under him so he’s sitting cross legged, and Jasper moves him, so that he’s holding Mac, so that they’re close together. “You’re so getting tenure, and you’re so going to be known as the best professor that NYU has ever had.”

“I wish, honestly.”

“You will be.” Jasper kisses Mac and Mac melts into his touch, can hardly stand it when they pull away. His brow furrows for a moment, as if he’s thinking, leans back against Jaspers arm. Listening to the deep moaning of a police siren below, to the techno music across the street blaring at them. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always, angel.”

“And I need you to be totally honest with me.”

“Have I ever not been?”

“Fine, just don’t start lying now.”

Jasper laughs. “Okay… you’re making me nervous now.”

“No… don’t be nervous. Just- do you think Riley is telling the truth about why she’s here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just… I don’t know, something like a breakup doesn’t seem like the thing she’d come crying to me about months later. That’s not…  _ Riley _ . And I can see it, you keep trying to read her like she’s in your room- don’t deny it, you do it without even meaning to. But I see it, I see how your eyes change sometimes, how you have to read them over to make sure they’re okay. Trustworthy. So… do you believe her?”

Jasper is quiet a moment, sipping his own coffee. “Yeah… I believe her.” 

“You do?”

“Yeah. I mean… think about it this way: the two people who were like an older brother and father to her left, and moved all the way across the country- so she’s alone at home, her two safe houses gone, and the one man she had left to trust, her  _ boyfriend,  _ shattered that trust. She had no one to turn to, nobody to talk to. Brave faced probably devasting ops, and just got broken down again and again and again… just like all of us. Except she didn’t have you or Jack to fall back on this time.”

“She doesn’t want to go back until december.”

“You left entirely. And then she got here and you know… you guys aren’t the same- not that that’s a bad thing, just… if I had a progress report on the Angus Macgyver I met 4 years ago, you’re in such a better place now. You smile like you have something to smile about, and your eyes get bright with excitement again, and you don’t always look so tired… I mean, okay, you’re still a little anti social, it wouldn’t kill you to hang out with other people but-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, when did this become an attack on me? I hang out with other people!”

“Really? Name one person you hang out with that isn’t me, Jack, or Frankie. And no smitty doesn’t count.”

“Okay… A few months ago I went to dinner with Brandon.”

“Have you spoken to him since?”

“Yes! And I told him we will go get drinks very soon.”

“Right. When is soon?”

“When I get the time. Currently dealing with stuff remember? Now focus, this is fix Riley time, not nit pick on your husband time.”

“Right, because my husband is oh so perfect.”

“He is.”

“Anyways-”

“Don’t use that tone-”

“ _ Anyways _ , back to Riley, I think she’s just… trying to fit back into your life. To find her place with you again. And if she needs until december, then why not? Let her stay. Let her find herself, figure out what she needs. Let her get to know you again.”

“I’m not that different, Jess.”

“More than you think, Angel. And like I said, the new Angus ain’t half bad baby. I quite like him.” 

Mac smiles, leaning over and kissing Jasper, soft and steady. “You do?”

“Yeah… I think he’s happy, and loving, and finally feels fulfilled without having to throw himself in the line of danger every day. I think he’s my favorite person in the whole world.”

“You’ve said that to me for four years now.”

“And that just proves, no matter how you change, I’m always going to want to be right here with you. You’re always going to be my best friend, the best person I know.”

Mac smiles, letting Jasper kiss him, melting into the kiss, kissing back. 

“You’re always going to be my favorite person too. Always.”

“Can I ask you something too?” Jasper whispers, Mac nodding. 

“Anything… always.”

“Do you still want to adopt a baby?”

“Yeah… yeah, of course.” Mac swallows, looking at Jasper. “I thought maybe you…”

“No, I didn’t change my mind or forget. I thought because of everything lately and you’re going to Berlin for your dad again soon-”

“Doesn’t change anything. I uhm… I saw a baby last night on the website the lawyer gave us, to the local adoption center. And I may have asked for her application. Just waiting on a response.”

Jasper nods. “Do we… do we want to tell people?”

“I don’t think we should say anything until it’s official. Hundred percent.”

“Yeah… okay, agreed. Just in case.”

“Yeah, just in case.”

Jasper kisses him again, and he’s about to suggest they go back inside and downstairs as the wind picks up, as Mac pulls his plaid a bit closer around his body. But his phone rings, cutting through their mood a little. 

“It’s Jack.”

“Oh, shoot, I left my phone downstairs. Answer it.”

Jasper answers the phone, Mac leaning in close to hear. There’s yelling across the way, but it sounds so distant now. He listens as Jack and Jasper talk, hiding his face in Jaspers neck. “They got dinner,” Jasper repeats to Mac. “We’ll be down soon. Yeah- yeah I’ll text you if anything. Sure, you can let Riley into the apartment.”

“Are we making dinner?” Mac whispers. Jasper shrugs, tucking him under his arm and kissing his head affectionately. 

“Sure, uhh he’s right here. He’s freaking out over school stuff, that’s all. Sure. Yeah- okay, we’ll see you downstairs. Bye, love you too. Mac says he loves you too, too.” Jasper hangs up, and looks to Mac who was tucked into Jaspers body, cheek smushed on his shoulder. His coffee was halfway done, pumpkin mug hugged to his chest. “You okay?”

“Yeah… It’s getting a little chilly.”

“It’s just dropped to 80.”

“Wind says 60. Are you making dinner?”

“Jack says he bought enough for the four of us, but I could if you want.”

“No we’ll eat whatever it is that Jack brought…” 

They sit in silence for a minute, adjusting to drink their coffee, finishing their cups. They drink quietly, while the party rages on in the background, growing in intensity, leaving them behind in their drunken cries, their pounding music. Jasper leans over and kisses his neck.

“Do you think Riley is going to be okay?”

“She’ll be fine. She just needs time.”

Mac nods, leaning and kissing him deeply. Mac presses his forehead to Jaspers, hand on his neck. “We should go downstairs,” he says softly. Jasper nods, kissing him quick once more. Mac pulls Jasper up, the two making their way down to their penthouse, finding Jack and Riley inside, Cadmium excitedly bounding forward to greet Mac. 

Mac kneels and lifts Cadmium into his arms, laughing as she licks his face. He carries her to the couch with him, then plopping her down to go and wash his face. Riley laughs, her and Jack having set up the dining room table and the spread of dinner that they bought: mini sliders, a share serving of Mac and Cheese, fries. 

“They didn’t have anything vegan,” Jack says jokingly and Jasper rolls his eyes, but Jack pulls out a salad, to which Jasper inspects it and opens it, leaving it open on the table. 

“Lettuce looks kind of brown,” Jasper notes.

“I think that’s just the dressing, babe.”

“Are you sure-”

“You want me to make you a salad?” Mac asks. “Go upstairs, change out of your work clothes.”

“I could always do it, Angel-”

“It’s okay, go change, I got it.”

Jasper laughs, kissing Mac softly before going upstairs. Mac steals a piece of the fried chicken, eating it as he turns to go to the kitchen. Riley follows him, Mac letting her in under his arm as they stare into the fridge.

“Maybe I’ll make a stir fry for us.”

“You’re not gonna eat?”

“I hate that he has to eat alone. Besides, I make a pretty decent stirfry.”

Riley laughs. “So he only eats at nice restaurants?”

“No, he’s just really picky. Trust me, once I convinced him to take me to Olive Garden, and he really did refrain himself from smelling the plate to see if it’d been recently washed, or wiping down the seat. I know he sounds like he has a disorder, but he doesn’t.”

Riley laughs. “This is from a local place.”

Mac shrugs. “I’m sure he’ll eat from whatever is on the table too,” Mac says, switching gears to make a protein packed salad. He grabs an avocado, some tomatoes, cucumber, and greens. He makes a colorful, aesthetically set salad, and bring the lively bowl to the table, Jasper just coming back downstairs, holding Whiskey and kissing his little cat head as he walks downstairs. 

“Did Mac forget to feed you baby,” he coos, kissing his kitty over and over again, Riley perking up at the sight of a cat. 

“Mac made you a bomb salad,” she informs, attempting to take his cat and Jasper laughs. “I can keep the cat, you should go eat.”

Jasper nods, handing over Whiskey, who seems less than pleased by being handed off to someone else. He kisses Whiskey’s head then goes to sit down in the dining room, where Mac was setting himself a plate of dinner, talking with Jack about their day. Jack looks to Jasper, and Jasper smiles. Jasper sits down with his salad, stirring everything together, putting just a bit of dressing to it.

“You ready to start the semester? All on your own this time,” Jack says, and Mac shrugs.

“I guess. I mean, the stress all goes once you start, just like getting there really sucks,” Mac says and Jack offers a rub on the shoulder as he walks past. Riley clinging to Whiskey as she walks over, trying to bond with Jaspers very picky cat.

“Awwh, he looks so unhappy.”

“He’s going to be my new best friend and he doesn’t get a choice.” 

Mac laughs, finally starting on dinner, stealing some of Jaspers salad. “Sure, I don’t mind. Hey, so Mac said you wanted to stay until after the holidays.”

“Oh uh… yeah, I mean- is that okay? I don’t have to stay  _ here  _ if you don’t-”

“No, hey, it’s perfectly fine. I’m just saying, if you wanted you know, something to do, you could always come join me in the bakery. It’s a good way to waste time, and Michelle is always there, so you can hang out with her, and you get unlimited coffee.”

“Oh, well, I guess i’ll think on it.”

“Sure, you know, just an option that’s always available to you.” 

After they’ve eaten and cleaned up, Riley goes to shower, Jack saying he’s got to get on home. Mac has made popcorn, is sitting in his large arm chair, curled up with Jasper beside him. He gingerly runs his knuckles along his neck, stroking soft skin. He kisses gently below his ear, Mac melting into his touch. 

“Hmm… lets watch… Oo, you wanna watch  _ The Internship _ ? It’s been a while since we’ve watched that.”

“With Owen Wilson?”

“Yeah. And that other guy… god what’s his name?”

“Oh I know who you’re talking about… Oh my god, why can’t I remember?” 

“Was it Augsto… No, Vinny?”

“Vincent?”

“Vince Vaughn!”

“Yes!”

“Ugh we should totally watch it. I’m putting it on.”

Jasper nods, pulling Mac into a kiss first, not hearing Riley coming down the stairs, Mac kissing Mac, wrapped up in him. He pushes him away a bit giggling, Jasper dipping back in. Mac hears the stairs creak, and he knows it’s not Cadmium who’s only a foot away. 

“Mm Jess-” Jasper kisses him again, the two giggling, he was going to try to part again when Riley makes a loud enough noise that it catches Jaspers attention, pulling him out of his bubble. Mac sees the look on her face, the two still close enough that Mac could playfully shove him off. “I told you kisses were  _ not _ going to convince me,” he declares. “I saved the seat for  _ Riley  _ not you.” 

Jasper catches on, seeing Riley’s almost longing look as she goes to find a seat on one of the other couches, her attention perking up in surprise. “But I love youuu,” he plays along.

“So love me from over there. You can cuddle Cadmium. Come on Riley, come here and cuddle.”

Riley smiles and goes to sit by Mac, filling the place where Jasper was and he hugs her tight, in a way he never used to, puts his head on her shoulder and squeezes her against him; things that he never trusted to do with other people, never offered to her, or to Bozer. She remembers one of the first times she went over and found Mac on top of Bozer- what he later explained as him lashing out from PTSD most likely, because he saw someone he didn’t know and struck - and how she joked that they were gay. She remembers when Zoe died and Mac refused to speak to anyone, how he bottled all his feelings. She remembers, really early on, how he kept saying that he didn’t love Nikki, and that she didn’t hurt him, that he was just angry. And how he kept trying to push down all his feelings. How he flinched when people touched him. How he had to pat her on the back when she hugged him to long as a way to say that she was getting too close. How Jack was the only person who didn’t recieve this treatment, and that sometimes Mac would fall asleep on his shoulder, trusting Jack to protect him. She remembers how Jasper was the first person she ever saw Mac cry to, letting Jasper hold him as he broke down on his couch, rubbing his arms, listening intently to Mac.

She thinks of how Mac now, was so different. He trusted her, in ways he never trusted anyone before. He cuddled her, and didn’t pat her back when he felt like she was too close. He kissed her shoulder halfway through the movie and randomly told her he loved her. She hugs his head, nails scratching lightly. She doesn’t know the last time she felt so cared for, and she doesn’t know why, but she has the overwhelming urge to cry. 


	2. September

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley goes through the Trials and Tribulations of living with her brother who lives his own life now. Jasper and Riley try to ammend their relationship, while Mac and Jasper face their own issues with Marriage and Love and figuring out the rocky pathways that come up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking, "Amirah why the HELL did this take so long?" it's over 70 pages and i had a LOT to say apparently  
> Please enjoy this chapter to the fullest, I have the other 4 planned out and ready to start on! I don't think they're going to take as long but WHO KNOWS right?????

**\- September -**

It was so hot that it felt like the tires on the cars could melt as they drove on the steaming pavement. The way that the smell of wax tinted the air, and window installed air conditioners spluttered as they willed the breath to keep working. It was the kind of day where peoples limbs stopped working, and standing outside caused their bodies to burst into a drench of sweat. Everyone was wet, and smelled a little funny. No matter how much deodorant they wore, there was no stopping it. 

Jasper came home around two, finding Riley reading a book Mac recommended her. It’s only been a few weeks now, more than 2 less than 4 kind of few weeks. She looks up as he enters the room, a bit startled. The button up he left in that morning was slung over his shoulder, only leaving him in navy blue pants that were maybe too nice for a baker, and a cotton tank top. All his tattoos on display, and he seems unbothered as he squeezes lotion out of the bottle on the little table at the entrance to the living room. 

He looks up and sees her there and smiles. Almost as if he forgot she was staying there. “Is it too hot? I can turn up the air condition.”

“I’m okay,” She promises.

“Did you want to go to the pool downstairs? The water down there is always nice.”

“Yeah, Mac was telling me before he went to class. I didn’t bring a bathing suit, honestly. And no we don’t have to go get one.”

He laughs, toeing off his shoes and taking them to the rack in the hallway outside. He settles lazily on the nearest couch, cadmium slinking over and plopping herself on his lap. The apartment was cooler than outside, but Jasper wanted to throw himself inside an ice box and let the cold chill him to his soul. Until he had to defrost from how cold he was.

“Well, then we won’t. What are you reading?”

Riley recognizes that she had never been alone in a room with Macs husband. Never once since she had met Jasper Sheriff have they shared the same space without others around. He had always been a host, an entertainer, the willing participant at Macs house, or within company to talk to if she didn’t want to talk. She realizes she had never had to sit in a room alone with him- let alone when he was in a tank top, lounging on his own couch that he probably paid for with his own money, lazy and near a nap. It was too intimate too soon and yet unavoidable. 

“ _ Tuesdays with Morrie _ ,” she finally responds. “It’s a sad book.”

“I love that book. I remember one day, when Mac was staying in Ohio before he left California, it was a really hot summers day, much like this one, and we sat under the trees, on a picnic blanket, and I read the whole book to him. The day was so hot even the river was slow.” He almost mumbles it, his voice was soft and tired. Riley can see his arms were red with heat. 

“Do you want something cold to drink?” she offers, and he hums at the thought.

“Sounds nice, actually. I have cold brew in the fridge. Why don’t you pour us both a glass?”

“Sure,” she says softly, nodding. She goes to the kitchen, and she grabs the tall square glasses with the tinged purple color on the corners that Mac had once told her Jasper adored, and felt were very sophisticated. She thinks how odd it is that a man who seems to be the height of sophistication would marry someone like Mac, who was always homely, and how he found glasses that had a purple tint on their corners and found it to be a Very Adult Thing of him to buy. She makes the coffee how she learned he likes it from watching Mac, who did more for Jasper than anyone ever gave him credit for. 

She always hears Jack talking about all the extravagant things that Jasper did for Mac, and half expected Mac to do nothing in return. But she heard him awake at ungodly hours with Jasper in the morning and wishing him quiet goodbyes. She saw him make Jasper lunch to pass by when he had a moment. She saw him clean up the house so Jasper came home to a clean apartment, or buy the nice wines that Jasper enjoyed for dinner. She saw him eat the foods that Jasper liked, even if Jasper insisted he didn’t have to. She saw him give his heart and his love and his energy to Jasper, and she saw Jasper give it right back in every way that he does.

She hands Jasper the glass, finding he’s moved to the couch with the recliners, Cadmium in his lap. “Sit,” he says, gesturing to the other couch. She does. She doesn’t want to upset him in any way. 

They sit quietly, the TV wasn’t on, and it was just them and the hum of the AC rekindling in the vents. Jasper sips through the metal straw and they just sit there, quietly. She remembers reading in the book that people are often uncomfortable with quiet but shouldn’t be, and she doesn’t even know what to fill the space with. Jasper neither seems to be thinking of anything, nor wanting to. He just seems relieved by having something cold. 

“Was work slow?” she finally asks.

“Dreadfully.” he pauses, holding the cup along his arms. “I was doing a lot of baking for the next few days,” he informs. “Cheesecake is very popular right now, and i put them all in the fridge instead of the freezer and just called it quits. I had a total of  _ thirty  _ customers.”

“Really?” Riley asks, feigning surprise. 

Jasper laughs. “You don’t have to pretend to care.”

“I-”

“It’s okay. I just…. Too tired and too hot, and I wanted to pass out. Everyone in the whole state agrees.” She nods and he nods too. “I mean, once I’m cooled down, maybe I’ll go buy as much cold water as I can and give it out to the homeless.”

Riley is taken aback by the comment. “Really?”

“Sure. I’m wasting in luxury and there’s people probably just downstairs who are in the heat, who are so sick and so malnurtured that they can’t even get up to find a store to cool down in, let alone have someone let them stand there long enough to cool down. People who are desperate for water right now, and here I am drinking a cold coffee on my 15 thousand dollar couches made of real velvet. I don’t…. Deserve this anymore than them.”

“You worked hard,” Riley tries to reason and he shakes his head. 

“I got lucky, Riley. I was 21 with no home, no food, barely a shelter. I sold the only trade I knew and that was to fix things. I got lucky with Dallas finding me. I got lucky meeting somebody like Julius to help me get my degrees, teach me how to cope and to feel properly. I remember… one night, I was in that little shack that I was just barely able to rent, and there was no heat or air condition, and I was under six blankets, thin, poorly quilted, old. And I couldn’t feel a single part of my body. It was only late October, it probably was only 35 degrees. But I never could afford to eat much, so I was lacking in vitamins to begin with. And my clothes were running thin, so I had no insulation. All that loss of nutrition was a loss of iron and my bloods running cold. Pair that with frosty nights and a shack that lets in all the cold air… I didn’t even think I’d last the winter. My only hope was that maybe in the winter they would give me wood for the small firepit in there, and i could heat up the room with the pit.”

“I never knew that…” she whispers. “That you were homeless.”

He laughs. “That’s not the point. Lifes a draw, Riley. And sometimes we hit the million dollar raffle ticket. A lot of people don’t. They deserve cold water too. They deserve to feel cared for. To feel loved.”

“Can I help you?”

“I never mind company.”

She thinks for a moment. “Do you do it because you know how it feels?”

He hardly misses a beat. “ _ No. _ I make millions but hardly need more than thousands. The least i can do is help people. Genuinely.” 

“Thats nice of you. Not a lot of people think like that.”

“Not a lot of people really see others as equally human. Especially people with money, and their lives are empty. Their children hate them. They live through commodity. Sure I have nice things, but…” he gestures vaguely. “Who I am without them remains. Its nice to have luxury but critical that said luxury isn’t my whole personality.”

Riley nods. “You really Thought about this huh?”

He laughs. “Mac says that because I’m nearing thirty I’ve gained infinite wisdom.”

“I agree with Mac.”

“As you should. He's almost never wrong, regardless of the crap i give him sometimes.”

She laughs, running a hand through her hair and she notices his eyes flicking over her, trying to get a read on her. He sips his coffee and seems to be texting someone. “Why don't you go get ready? We’ll leave in like thirty minutes, yeah?”

“Yeah. Perfect.”

**\- NYU School of Arts and Science -**

Her name was Lauren, she had long blond hair, and a button nose, and she recognized Mac from a photoset of him at first pride that had gone viral a few years back. It had felt like a long time ago now, but she followed Jasper on his socials, and she knew him the moment she saw him. Even yelled out that he had been one of the  _ LA Pride Boyfriends  _ who went viral a few years back. She had sunk in her chair and embarrassment, and after walked up to apologize for saying something so out of line, that she had just been excited.

Mac knew that she would become one of his regular visitors in the office, but she was currently sitting in his office, asking about his simple assignment to research something, seeking his utmost validation.

“I don’t think that’s a bad topic, but are you interested in it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never thought about physics before.”

“Well, what do you like?”

“What?”

“Physics is everything we do, so provide me with something you like to do and I will provide you with a theory.”

She thinks, tapping her pen on the paper, when a knock comes at his door and another student comes in, a tall young man and it seems to put Lauren out. 

“Collin Mirth?” he asks and Collin nods, Mac putting a little star near his name, to note that he came in to see him. “Take a seat, we’re helping Lauren figure out what theory she’s interested in.”

“We..?”

“Office hours and class time are a group effort, Mr. Mirth. In the field you’re going to be working and collaborating with everyone in your space. Whats your major?”

“Engineering?”

“Ah, see, Communication is key in engineering. You need to have communication down to a science, you need to understand sharing your ideas and talking to others more than anything else. Our friend Lauren is studying to be an architect, so you guys are already in each others lanes. Consider this a networking opportunity. Sit and help.”

Lauren doesn’t seem too thrilled to see him but Mac doesn’t seem to care. Mac turns back to Lauren.

“What do you like to do?”

“I like to…” She seems to think as if she’s unsure of what she really liked to do. “Well, I guess I like to draw.”

“Okay, so what’s a theory that we could apply to that?” he asks Collin.

“The Theory of Motion and Oscillatory motion, a repetitive motion that fluctuates between two locations- so I guess from the top of the drawing page to the bottom. Or she could apply the chaos theory and argue that because someone watching her can certainly calculate her movement theoretically, the actual practice of drawing may appear random, and the way that one goes about shading, creating lines, and piecing together pictures may also seem random. So therefore, in theory, drawing is sensical, but in practice chaotic.”

Mac nods impressed and Lauren seems a bit lost. 

“Okay… So if you just repeat like the names of the theories, I can read into them.”

“Chaos Theory. Oscillatory motion. Theory of Motion.”

“How do you spell-”

“O. S. C. I. L. L. A. T. O. R. Y.”

“Okayyy, thanks major jerk.” She gives a faux smile, sickeningly sweet and Mac can’t help but laugh.

“I’m starting to think you two are not very fond of each other.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re best friends,” Collin says.

“Well maybe you will be,” Mac says. “Officially I’m inviting you both to my study group, there’s ten spots and I have a handful of students already seeking them. You’re not obligated to say yes, but you’ll get more time out of office hours, and my personal opinions, insights on labs and tests, and you’re both going to contribute and be best friends.”

“Do I get extra credit for dealing with him?” Lauren asks.

“I’ll think about it.” Mac grabs his cold brew from the fridge and pours himself another cold mug of coffee. His office was freezing and the heat doesn’t quite reach him, and if he’s honest, he misses the warm summer sun but everything in New York was a muggy, suffocating kind of hot, not like California, where the sun kisses you so gentle even as it burns right through you “Join or die.”

“Fine,” they both say before giving each other equally nasty looks and Mac laughs.

“See? Already best friends,” he encourages with an easy smile. “Did you guys want coffee?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

“Your girlfriend sucks by the way,” Collin informs.

“Please, at least  _ I  _ have one.”

Mac finds the two children bickering almost endearing, and he almost wishes he’d had something even vaguely resembling such a relationship when he was their age. Though, that was the past and he can’t change that. But he can change these two hating each other- hopefully. 

\- 5.32 PM -

Riley and Jasper returned, heated and a bit more tan, but she feels rewarded, in a way she hadn’t in a long time. She had spoken to people she never thought she’d speak to before, and she heard stories like she never heard before.

Jasper goes upstairs to shower, and she follows him, watching him open one door and disappear behind it as he shuts it. She goes to her room and lays on the bed, waiting until he comes back out for her to shower. She didn’t want the water to run too cold on either of them because they were both showering at once. She lets the cold of the air condition settle into her bones, melting into the bed, outside the heat nearly visible from how dense it was. 

“How’s your day going my love?” Jasper asks as he undoes his pants. 

“You would not believe the two crackhead students I have.”

Jasper laughs. “I wouldn’t?”

“I can feel it, I’m going to enjoy both of them very much. The one girl, Lauren? I told you about her, she just… like is a mess. More of a mess than I’m a mess and that’s saying something.”

“And the other one?”

“Collin. Total genius, doesn’t even know it probably. I asked him to just throw out a potential theory for Lauren to research and he just… listed theories? And like gave her explanations? It’s only our second class, there was no way he could’ve known most of this stuff unless he just like… researched it himself. Or maybe got a private school education. Either way he’s really smart.”

“I absolutely believe you and trust your judgement.”

“Thank you my darling husband. What are you doing right now?”

“Getting undressed,” Jasper answers honestly. Mostly because he’s very amused by the blush he knows will bloom on Macs cheeks, and how his eyes will widen just a tad. 

“ _ Jessie!  _ You are not-”

“I was just out all afternoon, and i’m sweaty and gross. Not prime for husbands to kiss upon getting home. So I’m going to shower.”

“You could’ve just said that.”

“Showering requires being naked, Mac.”

Mac seems to mumble something along the lines of  _ yeah okay asshole  _ and Jasper only smiles. 

“If it makes you feel better, I promise you can get a piece of the action when you get home.”

“What about Riley?”

“Just say we’re going to bed eaaarly, that we have a lot to do tomorrow, i take your clothes off, make you-”

“We can’t just abandon her. Maybe we should send her out to dinner or something soon. You know, let her go out with Michelle or something for a few hours on Saturday. Since you close early and i just have to be at the lab, I can leave if I have to-”

“You’re overthinking it.”

“I just don’t want her to feel abandoned.”

“I took her out with me today, I think I wore her down. She might go to bed before us,” Jasper teases. 

“Oh yeah? What did you guys- Oh hi, no we haven’t. Uhm- hold on just a second. Hey babe? I have to go, I’ll see you at home.”

“See you at home babe. Dinner will be ready by then.” Jasper hangs up, going to shower. He cleans up his beard before going in, washing away the remnants of his shave, then hopping in the shower. After he puts on a pair of cotton shorts and a matching short-sleeve hoodie that were purple, ones that he knew Mac loved. 

Funny enough, just before he goes downstairs to start on dinner and dessert, he gets a text from Mac.  _ I have a story to tell you when I get home now (eye roll emoji) anyways, can you talk to Riley for me? I know you said you went out with her today, but like most days she’s home alone. Just want her to feel like she has initiative, or like she has the opportunity to make friends rather than being home alone all the time.  _ Jasper puts a thumbs up bubble on Macs text. 

He goes downstairs and puts on one of his favorite playlists and starts on dinner. 

Riley meets Jasper Downstairs, watching as he stirs something with a delicate passion, clearly focused. He had music playing, was humming along as if he knew every note (and he most likely did). He had on the summer equivalent of sweats, and he wore colorful ankle socks to match, and along his ankle was a charmed filled bracelet, held together by a duo-chrome safety pin. 

“Today was nice,” she says to him, catching his attention as he turns around. 

“I’m glad. You know, my offer still stands. About the bakery.” 

“Are you insinuating I need to get a job?” Riley asks, skeptical of his intentions. 

“Well I didn’t say that-”

“I mean, I honestly think if you want some sort of compensation for me being here you should just say so.”

“I don’t, I just don’t want you being alone all the time, that’s all. Me and Mac are just  _ concerned  _ for you. You’re alone here all the time. I mean, if you don’t want to work at the bakery with me, that’s fine. You can get a job if you want, but lets be honest, retail sucks, especially when you’re not working for someone you know. Or if you want to take community college classes-”

“I’m fine, and I don’t-”

“If you say you don’t have the money, it doesn’t have to be on you. Me and Mac have you covered, you’re here under our protection. If you need anything, even that’s taking a few classes this semester at the college-”

“Why are you guys so concerned? I came here-”

“Because you were heartbroken and needed your family and overwhelmed with your life at home. That’s what you told Mac, isn’t it?” 

Riley hesitates before nodding. “Yeah, it is. And apparently what he told you.”

“Riley, there’s no shame in that. Mac and I just want you to be okay. I just don’t want you to always be alone… We’re not always home, and there’s plenty of people in this city just dying to be Riley Davis’ friend. I mean it, you don’t have to spend all your time with me, you can go and do whatever you want. That’s up to you, babe. But, my door is open, and anything you need, I’m willing to offer it.”

“Thanks,” she says softly. “What are you making?”

“I made some steak, a sauce au poivre. The steaks in the oven, and I want to make baked potato ribbons for mac. He loves them a lot.”

Riley nods. “I uh, I would help but it seems like you got it covered.”

“If I give you the sherbert recipe, do you think you can handle it?”

“What?”

“Yeah, for dessert, I figured we’re all adults, we can have a raspberry sorbet with some rosé…. Like you know, in the same glass. Mac totally loves it.”

She laughs. “Is there anything you like on the menu?”

“I like everything I make.” 

“Right… so you want me to make it?”

“Only if you want,” Jasper says, grabbing a binder off the top shelf where all the bowls are, and he sits down at the table, flipping through it and finding the sherbert recipe. “Or why don’t you go wait in the living room and we can make it together.”

“Sure,” she says softly, moving to the living room and she pauses to look at the console where the TV was, picking up a picture of them in Sicily, sharing a cup of ice cream together. Mac looked so happy, in ways he didn’t when he was home. He was beaming, looking at Jasper with all the love in the world. The cup of pink ice cream bold between them, Macs spoon in Jaspers mouth. 

She wants to trust Jasper but over the past couple weeks, he always seemed a host, or accepting because Mac wanted him to. He takes her out with them, gives up his spot on the couch next to Mac, only seems to kiss him when he thinks that Riley isn’t looking, as if that will somehow make her feel better. And well, part of her can’t help but resent him. That Mac has everything, a husband who loves him and does things like this for him.

She throws the feeling away- he was trying to help her. He was trying to make sure she was okay, and if not kissing his husband or letting her cuddle him every night was how he thought to do it, she didn’t want to stop him. His comfort and conversation felt so new, considering the past two years it had been limited to 5 minute phone conversations, and texts between ops, between his shifts. Pictures of him and his new friends, or the bakery or of Jasper sent to her phone. When he got home from Christmas, and sent pictures of his new puppy, who was currently sitting on the couch, much bigger than the pictures. 

Cadmium sleeps, waiting patiently in Macs seat for him to get home. 

She can hear Jasper singing in the kitchen, and part of her relaxes. She thinks, whether she likes it or not, she was going to love Jasper Sheriff for all he was- he wasn’t just that stolid agent who overtook the agent world, he was trying his best to help her. And he had a really nice singing voice, one that carried through the house in a sweet melody as he sang along to his favorite songs. 

She flops on the couch, considers picking up the book again, staring at the pictures on the wall, listening to the oven open and close. “Rileyyy, I hope you’re ready.” 

She goes to the kitchen, Jasper having two little clams of raspberries, he was pouring sugar into a saucepan that was full of water. “So, the ice cream maker that mama Dalton got us is out in that closet in the hall, next to the bathroom? It’s on the bottom shelf, beneath the blue star wars blanket.” 

“I’m guessing that blanket belongs to Mac.” 

He laughs. “Yeah, he loves that blanket.” Jasper is stirring the sugar water. “Here actually, make sure to stir it. That ice cream machine is italian and very heavy.”

“Does the italian part make it heavy?”

“Depends on who you ask.” 

She laughs, mimicking how he stirred, hoping to get it just right. Part of her wanted to impress Jasper, to make him think she could be good at anything he threw at her. Wanted him to see her in the best light at all times. 

“You’re doing great,” he says from the hallway. 

“How do you know? You can’t see me.”

He laughs, coming back with the large ice cream machine. He puts the clamshells of raspberries, then decides to put one more from the fridge. 

“So… You mentioned when I came a couple weeks ago something about a spa day,” she offers.

“I did,” he agrees, turning on the blender to pulsing it. “Did you want me to make you a reservation.”

“Yeah… but would it be okay if Michelle went?”

Jasper nods. “I could ask her. See what she’s doing on Saturday, if you’d like.”

“Yeah… I would like that, actually.”

“And I’ll give her your number.”

“Thank you… and uhm, I didn’t mean to be so harsh before. I know you’re just trying to help me.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re forgiven.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What's with the safety pin?”

He looks down to his ankle and smiles. “It fell off the first time we came to the penthouse, in the bathroom upstairs. I freaked out later that night when I realized it was gone, Mac and I came back the next day. I was totally panicked… this anklet is one of the most important things to me.”

“Why?”

“My first partner, one of my first friends, in my life ever, Carter gave it to me. I told him a couple times how my mom had this beautiful anklet and I wanted one too.” Jasper turns off the stove and combines his ingredients in a deep bowl. “Stir with all your heart baby girl. Anyways I told him I wanted one, and at first it had 3 charms, and slowly I built my collection. As for the pin, when I lost it, Mac found it, and the pin was on my jean jacket with my pin collection, and he used it to keep it together. I got it fixed a long time ago now, or it feels that way, but it always makes Mac happy to see his little invention keeping my bracelet together, so I had them find a way to make it an extra reinforcement.” 

Riley smiles. “You don’t have a charm for him?”

Jasper laughs, leaning down and unhooking the bracelet and showing her a custom made swiss army knife with the letters  _ AMS.  _ “AMS?” she asks.

“Angus Macgyver Sheriff,” he says, and Riley nods.

“Should’ve figured that out.”

He laughs. “He said you guys aren’t… really used to the whole he’s married thing. I mean you were all at the wedding.”

“Yeah, but you saw him all the time, we saw you once every few months. You made a few hours appearance, and Mac glowed while you were around, and we figured as long as he was happy. We thought how serious could it be-” Jasper stops her whisking. 

“Cover it and fridge. And I’m sorry-”

“You were busy, i’m sure. But it just felt a lot like he married a guy we didn’t know, or at least as well as we would have liked.”

“Well that’s on me, not Mac. Don’t… blame him. Or not come to visit because of me. I could have a very well timed convention or something when you guys are over-”

“No, we all like you. Or I mean, maybe love you.”

“You love me?” Jasper teases and she rolls her eyes.

“Don’t get excited.”

“Okay, okay. I said nothing.” 

“Maybe we should have visited sooner. It was just… scary having to face the reality that he wasn’t coming back to LA.”

“Not coming was only going to make him coming back less likely… he thinks you guys don’t want him there. Maybe he doesn’t live in LA, but i promise my husband is a tropical fish who yearns for no humidity 80 degree weather, and finding it reasonable cause to wear fleece below 75 without getting odd looks.”

She laughs, nodding. “Well I’m here now, and if you keep spoiling me and giving me friends and trying to get me to work for you I might never leave.”

“Don’t, Mac likes you being here.”

Mac gets home, totally anguished, baked by the sun and his delayed subway ride, and the walk from the subway to the complex in a slew of tourists, businessmen, people on day trips and mall goers. Pushing between other sweaty bodies, clutching at his bag as he did, mind racing, even in the nighttime. People in nice clothes going to dinner tried to avoid being touched at all, and normally Mac took the car to just walk with the flow of things, but he was too hot, and too tired, and had too much to tell his husband to really care at all.

He desperately was rethinking Jaspers ‘going to bed early’ idea, if for no other reason, to just talk his ear off while rubbing his chest, letting the TV mounted on their bedroom wall play mindless reruns of  _ FRIENDS _ and  _ Seinfield _ . If his clothes ended up coming off, that was only a bonus, but right now, he needed a shower and a night alone with his husband. He also needed the largest glass of wine, which was not something he would have said 2 years ago, but something he needs right now. 

Opening the doors to the complex, stopping in the lobby was heaven. His shoulders slumping, as the lady at the door has to fight tourists off with one of the guards, saying the complex was not for viewing. Mac stands there, the desk clerk looking up and smiling.

“Long Day, Mr. Sheriff?”

“Forever long,” Mac says. The man pours him a glass of cucumber water, slides it across the desk. “I met the new biology teacher at NYU,” he informs, going forward and taking the water. 

“Is that so?”

“He’s a bitch.”

This makes the desk Clerk, David, laugh. “Yeah well, can’t recall you liking anyone upon meeting them. Not yet.”

“Oh no, see I was totally prepared to meet him and consider liking him. I can’t help that I’m just very skeptical.”

“Of course not.”

“But he just… stepped right over courtesy, said goodbye to basic human decency, and went right for the throat. The conversation felt more like a warning on who’s territory he thought I was stepping on, than it did an introduction.”

“I’m guessing you’re going to show him who’s boss.”

“He’s not a bitch for nothing. Needs to be reminded that I’m getting tenure and he’s getting fired.”

Mac drinks half the glass of water, letting the cool air seep into his skin. “Hot outside?”

“Sweltering. I don’t know why anyone is outside to begin with. Unless you have a choice, go home, be lazy on your couch.”

David laughs. “Sure, Jasper spent the afternoon giving out water and food to the homeless.”

“My husband is a saint and I’d remarry him everyday if I could.”

David smiles. “I bet Bethany on the second floor can’t say the same.”

“That’s the blonde girl Jasper dislikes?”

David nods knowing. “She’s totally in love with your husband.”

“Sucks that he’s gay.”

“Not for you, I’m sure.”

“Not but for her.”

Mac puts the glass down and david takes it. “I’ll send down any leftover dessert later.”

“Thanks man.”

Mac goes to the elevator, leans against the wall as it takes him to their floor. He steps out, goes to the door, and unlocks the main door. He doesn’t care that Riley and Jack are over, doesn’t care that people are watching. He just wants to be with Jasper, wants to hug him tight all night. He goes right to his arms as he steps out of the living room, kisses him deep and longing.

“I missed you so much today.”

“Long day?” Jaspers hand caresses Macs cheek, gives him a little pout. 

“Yeah, long day… I think I almost murdered someone in cold blood.”

“Don’t do that.”

“I’m… sweaty and gross. Come upstairs while I shower, I can rant to you.”

“Well say hi first.”

Mac lets his head drop to Jaspers shoulders, Jaspers hands delicately running over Macs sweaty back, covered in a white button up, made out of an airy fabric. Every part of Mac felt damp, and Jasper can imagine, having been outside just a few hours ago himself, that the hot evening was not doing anybody or anything any good. 

“Come on… just say hi and then you can drag me upstairs before dinner.” 

Mac nods, rolling his shoulders back, finally standing up straight again, Jack talking to Riley, and looking up as Mac says hello, asks Riley how her day was, lets her tell him about how she started reading  _ Tuesdays with Morrie  _ and how her and Jasper did some charity work today. Mac smiles, and engages with her conversation, says he needs to shower, only pausing to give Cadmium a kiss. She hides her head, falling back asleep. 

“Heats gotten her today,” Jasper says softly and Mac pouts, before pulling Jasper along by the bicep upstairs. Jasper laughs softly behind him, following him up the stairs to the top. He pulls Mac in by the waist, and Mac relaxes a bit, though it almost felt too hot to be held, he pushes their bedroom door open. “You okay?”

“I met the new biology teacher. What a giant jerk!” Mac yells, Jasper shutting the bedroom door behind them, watching as Mac undoes the buttons on his shirt. “I mean, not only does he interrupt my phone conversation with you, but he just acts like a total-” Mac takes a deep breath and tosses his shirt down, a tank top underneath. He pulls that off too, Jasper taking him into his arms, Mac wrapping his arms around Jasper in a hug. “Just a total, total asshole.” 

“I’m sorry my love. It wasn’t all bad I hope.”

“No, I had two really good classes today. I think for the most part, my classes this year are pretty engaged. He just totally threw off my evening.”

Jasper nods, holding Mac by the waist. “Well then, I should make it better.”

“You should,” Mac says softly, kissing him gently. He moves closer, wrapping one arm around Jaspers shoulder, kissing him deeper. “I need to shower.”

“I can go set the table… I made all your favorites.” 

“Did you?” Mac coos, hand running over his shoulder, leaning forward and kissing along his jaw, holding him close. Jasper nods, running his hands over his back. 

“Come on, go shower, and I promise, the sooner you shower, the sooner your nights getting better.”

“Convince Jack to take Riley or something.”

“Why?”

“We’re having sex, remember.”

Jasper scoffs. “I remember posing the idea and you saying that Riley needs our emotional support and she would be emotionally shattered, just truly devasted, if we left her.”

“Right. But I am currently missing you a lot and would like you to myself all night. I miss you.. And I want to talk to you, and maybe we can finally open up the laptop and look at baby applications. The lawyer said he’d handle it, as long as we gave him the forms.”

“Sounds like a plan, I can talk to Jack while you shower.”

Mac nods, and Jasper dips Mac in a kiss, making him moan softly, hand running up his shoulder into his hair. “I’ll just rinse off. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

“Of course angel.” Jasper runs his hand up Macs bare back, wiping off some of the sweat thats accumulated there, and they just hold each other close. Press kisses to each other sweetly. Mac finally parts,undoing his belt and going to their ensuite bathroom. 

Jasper admires Mac for a minute, before stepping forward and taking him into his arms. “Hey, either way, we can just sneak upstairs after dinner tonight.”

“Legally blonde and dessert in bed.”

Jasper laughs. “Anything you want.” He kisses along his back, the physical contact an excruciating relief. Jasper finally lets go, going out to the hallway, lingering as he shuts the door. He tries to imagine a house that isn’t just him and Mac, where a little girl might be running down the halls with cadmium. Where Mac would come home and scoop her up, and spread kisses all over her little face. 

He smiles at the thought, and goes downstairs where Jack and Riley are. “Mac and I are probably going to spend the night upstairs. We wanted to… just get some of our stuff together. Foooor the bakery?” 

“Okay?” Riley says, looking at Jack. Jack seems to get the gist, almost immediately even. 

“Sure, why don’t you come over for a movie night Riley. Leave the two of them alone for the night.”

“Oh, uh… sure, I wouldn’t mind a movie night together.” She smiles tensely. Jasper smiles back, Jack nudging her. 

“Come on, we should set the table before Mac gets downstairs.”

Jasper goes to the kitchen, setting each plate delicately as he goes. He makes each plate look like a craft, filling it just enough to fill. He grabs a glass bottle of fresh juice from the fridge, pours it over glass cubes in tall glasses. Adds a bit of strawberry soda to the mango juice he poured out. Jack comes in and helps him set out each plate on the table, putting the plates at their normal seats on the dining room table. Mac comes downstairs as the last two plates are set, taking the glasses of juice from Jasper, with the colorful metal straws in them. He puts them on the plates missing juice, then sits down. Jasper smiles, kissing his head. 

“Riley and Jack are going to have a movie night.”

“Are they?”

“At Jacks.”

“That’s nice. I would say I’m jealous, but I think I’m too tired to do anything else today,” he excuses.” 

Riley nods, not seeming to totally believe him. He gives an easy smile, Jasper finally sitting down with the rest of them.

“This looks fabulous babe,” Mac says, lifting his fork, taking just a bit of the sauce to try. He has to admit it’s amongst Jaspers better attempts at a sauce, humming as his fork slips between his lips. “How are you so good at this?”

“A lot of practice and patience and actually paying attention to the food I cook. Not just leaving it on the stove to burn.”

“I don’t appreciate that. Jack take him too. Me and Cadmium will just drink wine in bed together.”

Cadmium hears her name and perks up, barking for Macs attention. Jack laughs.

“Won’t we baby?” He calls, laughing. Jasper smiles, cutting into his steak. 

“Hey, all out of  _ love _ . I say it out of love.” 

Mac laughs, Riley watching the two as they interact, as their pinkies link on the table for a moment. Macs wedding ring shines as it catches the light from the chandelier. The diamonds and gold glisten perfectly, Mac adjusts the ring before starting on his dinner properly. The world tunes out for Riley, and yet tunes in for Mac.

And after dinner, once they’ve cleaned up, Mac is sitting on the kitchen stool, Jasper holding him. “Right? And  _ I  _ told them that they’d totally become best friends. I have a feeling about it.”

“You never know, fate works in funny ways.”

“Especially when that way is little baby teenagers recognizing me from a picture of me when I was 24.”

“It was a really good picture of us.”

“It was, but I don’t know how to react to people genuinely seeing us as… famous or something when we’re just people. All we did was kiss at a public event.”

“Oh no no baby. We kissed at a public event and looked  _ great  _ doing it. There’s a difference. It’s all in the fashion of how you do things. Or like our picture in Paris that also got really popular? All in the pose. You think anyone would’ve cared if I hadn’t dipped you? No.”

“All in the fashion,” Mac repeats, not even really noticing Riley as she came in, smiling up at Jasper. He stretches out before leaning forward and taking their little mint jar and taking a butterscotch out of it. It was homemade, made by Jasper himself, and Mac had wrapped them soon after with Riley in colorful paper. “You should sell these,” he says, smelling the candy before popping it into his mouth. 

“What do you think Riles?” Mac asks. “Shouldn’t he sell them?”

“Sure, for like 20 cents a piece.”

“And why not?” Jasper says. “My butterscotch rum balls were a hit last fall. I think I’m going to start making them again in a couple weeks. But I want to start- well okay, I saw on instagram, these people who make things encased in tempered chocolate, or they do like layers. And this year I want to try and doing… hear me out. Cinnamon chocolate dusted with gold and burgundy. Then inside I’m going to layer it, chocolate cake, dark rum creme, and get this, this is the kicker I think, butterscotch meringue center as the last layer.”

“Mmm that sounds amazing.”

“And sit it on a dark chocolate half moon, with a little freshness. SO maybe a raspberry cremeux.”

“You’re so genius, but also that sounds like a lot for one plate. Maybe do the Raspberry cremeux with your cinnamon fireball.”

“You’re so right. You know me so well.” 

“Let the fireball swim in a flammable raspberry cremeux.”

“Absolutely stellar.”

“I love your brain, I cannot believe my husband is the smartest person to exist.” 

Riley laughs. “Can I steal some of that sherbert we made,” she says cutting in, their attention drawn back to her, Jasper becoming conscious of his hands rubbing Macs thighs. He keeps his hands on Macs knees, being tame. Mac smiles.

“You made Sherbert?”

“I did, the raspberry one you like with that strawberry rosé that you just die for.”

“Oh so you  _ do  _ love me.”

“Every minute and every second of my life lovely.” He kisses Mac deep, Mac wrapping an arm around him, forgetting Riley was there. Her nose scrunches, going to pull out the container, Mac not noticing as he pulls away, hugging Jasper, leaning his head against his shoulder. “Did you want some?”

“Yes please.”

Jasper smiles, going to set up in big wine glasses, each getting an even amount of sherbert and raspberries and the strawberry rosé. “Extra ice cream for me pleaaase,” Mac asks, Jasper handing Riley her cup with a dessert spoon.

“All that extra sugar isn’t good for you.” 

“Mmmhm,” he says. “It’s not much. You don’t even put much extra sugar in the sherbert.”

Jasper laughs, pouring extra wine in his glass. Mac scoffs. “You get extra wine, I don’t get extra ice cream?”

“Okay okay, fine.” He puts Mac another scoop, extra fresh berries. Mac smiles, happy he got what he wanted. Jasper also makes a glass for Jack, handing it to Riley. She takes it to Jack, glancing back at Mac as he takes his golden spoon and hops off the chair. He takes Jasper by the hand, and she thinks they’ve changed their mind, that they’d stay with them. But Mac kisses Riley’s head goodnight, and Jasper follows suit. The two taking their cups and the rest of the bottle upstairs. 

“Is it me?” she asks when they’re gone. “I was so sure Jasper and I were getting along.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’ve been in their space, and they keep asking me if I want to go back to school or work or-”

“Riley… I think you misunderstood.”

“Did I, because-”

“They’re married.”

“I know?”

“So… married couples just need to do… marital things sometimes.”

“Wha-”

“Riley, think really hard why they might want to be alone in their bedroom and nobody else in the house.”

Riley takes a deep breath, eyes widening as she realizes. “Okay yeah that is not something I want to know or hear… in any way shape or form.”

“Yeah. So why don’t we take these nifty glasses and go next door.”

Mac climbs into bed, sitting on top of the covers. He takes the straw and sips at the wine in the glass, Jasper pouring a little more in for him. He sets the bottle down, sitting next to Mac with his own cup. Mac takes a spoonful and gestures Jasper to open his mouth, Jasper taking the bite from Mac even if they had the same thing. He learned a long time ago that if Mac offered him something, he should never turn it down. Never mattered what, just always mattered that he took the bite, or whatever it was. 

Mac leans against the pillows, Jasper puts his cup aside and leans forward, undoing the buttons on the plaid and kissing at his chest, Mac smiling as he looks down, watching Jasper kiss at his newly exposed skin. His breath comes in hot, putting his cup aside. “Thought we were watching a movie, Jess.”

“We will…”

“Our dessert is going to melt.” 

“You’re a much better flavor in my opinion.”

Mac hums. “Movie and dessert first.”

“And that’s because?”

“I’ll let you leave the plug in through the movie, so you can watch me squirm the whole time, and then you can just take me when it’s done.”

Jasper is almost aghast at his boldness, but is overcome by smugness. “Would still require your pants to come off.”

“For like 5 minutes. Now come on…” Mac moves to the center of the bed, spreads his legs obscenely wide, waiting. Jasper leans forward, kissing his chest, up to his neck. Mac relaxes, hands running over his bicep. Jasper sits back, tugging Macs sweatpants down, Mac rolling his lips together. Jasper runs his hands over Macs bulge, looking to get him hard. He gets pulled down into a searing kiss, the two moaning softly, pulling each other closer. They rock up against each other, Mac moaning as they grind together. His hips rock slow, deliberate. Soon he’s hard, turned down enough to want Jaspers touch, anticipate it greatly. 

Macs underwear comes off soon, Jasper going to the drawer besides Macs side of the bed. He fishes out a box, opening it and taking out a shining gold butt plug. Grabs the lube as well, Mac watching him, undoing his shirt all the way, letting it casually hang open. 

Jasper hums, watching his husband. He settles between his legs, Macs eyes tracing over him. He reaches up, Jasper taking his hand, kissing his knuckles before pressing his hands into the pillow. Mac lets them stay there, the plug waiting beside them. Jasper goes to grab the plug, spreading Macs legs enough. He lubes his fingers, teasing Mac first. Spreading him open, making him moan softly. Then he takes the shining gold plug and lubes it up, eases it into Mac slowly. Pushes it in bit by bit before pulling it out, then easing it back into him. 

Mac bites his lip, breath coming in hard. He had no idea if anyone was still downstairs, but he wasn’t looking to give Riley and Jack a show if they were downstairs. Jasper finally lets it settle inside Mac, pushing it all the way in, teasingly twisting it just a moment. He kisses Mac, feeling him arch up into his body. Then like that the experience is over, Jasper pulling away and helping him put just his joggers back on, then putting his underwear in their laundry basket. Mac buttons up his shirt, panting a bit from the brief experience. 

Jasper returns, Mac still in the middle of the bed, he scooches over on his knees, holding their glasses. “I believe you wanted dessert before it became a wine slushy.”

“I did… What are we watching?”

“I thought you wanted to watch FRIENDS while we ate desert.”

“Mm, whatever you want, as long as you’re right next to me,” Mac says, taking his cup. He holds Jaspers cup too while Jasper leans back over to grab the remote. He returns to the center, and once they’re settled, he pulls Mac so he’s under his arm, and comfortably cuddled there, digs into his ice cream, happy as a clam. 

He shifts, getting comfortable, his legs ending up curled ontop of Jaspers lap. Jasper welcomes him there, hand gently tracing over his thigh. He works on his own cup of quickly melting dessert. FRIENDS starts playing, and Mac gleams. He gains a kiss to his temple, can feel the cold metal of Jaspers wedding ring as he caresses along his bicep. 

Mac finishes his cup and hands it over to Jasper. Jasper raises a brow. “I have a butt plug inside of me. I’m not moving.” 

Jasper nods, taking the cups and practically flopping on his stomach as he reaches over and sets them down on his side table. Mac waits patiently, trying to focus on the tv, his knees rubbing together as he refuses the urge to rock down on the plug. To take all that he can from the pleasure slowly welling up inside from the plugs mere presence. 

“So, I was thinking about maybe taking a chocolate course.”

“Chocolate course?”

“Yeah, you know. Like a class, but on chocolate.”

“To learn what? The history of chocolate? Because if so, I still have some of my childhood books and there was this series called the secret series and the third book was all on the history of chocolate with some adventure kicked in. You could just save some money and read that.”

Jasper laughs. “Uhh no, actually the one I was looking at was how to mold chocolate, and tempering.”

“I think your chocolate is fine. You do that one cake that is like… encased in a ball of chocolate, don’t you?”

“It always comes out a little chalky, like a cheap chocolate bar… Or I feel like it does.”

“Hmm, it’s been an awfully long time since you made chocolate, so I can’t confirm. You’ll have to make some tomorrow.”

“I just think it wouldn’t hurt. Or maybe… I don’t know, they have a few chocolate courses. I could get a chocolate certification if I take… well there’s a whole program. Or if I go to the community college or a culinary school- I mean before this was a hobby but I’m getting a really big pull of customers and I want them to have the best.”

“If it makes you feel better, tomorrow night or the night after you can hold me up in the bakery and make chocolate until you’re sick.”

Jasper laughs, putting a hand on his thigh, squeezing. He slowly persuades Mac into his lap, kneading his thigh as he wraps his leg over his lap, Mac leaning his head on his shoulder, hand sprawled on his chest, kissing sweetly at the skin on Jaspers neck. “Love you,” Mac mumbles.

Jasper tilts his head up, then leans down and kisses him thoroughly. “I love you too..” he kisses him again, rubbing over his thigh to his ass, squeezing. Mac arches into him, hand running over his body. He kisses him deeper, hand running over his neck, pushing up to kiss him deeper.

A character squeals on TV and Mac moans, anguished, as they part, relaxing back against Jasper who smiles. He hums, smiling up at him. They relax into the bed, just a while more. Mac growing aching, legs itching as he becomes a bit restless. An episode and a half in and the more he shifted, the more the plug moved in him, Jasper pressing it into him firmly, Mac biting his lip hard. He tries to control his breathing, pressing his leg into Jaspers, who seems content leaving him to wallow in his pleasure. 

“Jess…”

“Hm?”

Jasper looks down and Mac leans up to kiss him. He kisses him deep, hard. Again and again and again. Quick, desperate kisses. He pulls Jasper down on top of him, moaning as the plug presses deeper into him, Jasper humming, getting him settled. “Fuck me,” Mac whispers.

Jasper nods, working quickly on the buttons of his shirt. He yanks Mac up, watching as the shirt just falls off, pulls down at the crook of his arms over his elbows from Mac holding onto him, watching as he lets go one hand at a time to let it slip off. He pulls at Jaspers sweats, Jasper stripping soon. 

Infatuated all over again with his tattoos, Mac lurches forward, eager to get Jasper back in his arms, kissing at the cuff on his left bicep. Kissing and licking all the way up to his neck, his hands trace down the lichtenberg scar that cascaded over his back, feasting on his skin as if it was all he needed. Jasper hums, only left in his boxers. Mac’s eagerness drawing them closer, making him more desperate. Like it was urgent he gave Mac everything he wanted, everything that made him moan, had his eyes rolling back with pleasure.

Mac traces his hand down over his arm, over the  _ soleil de mon coeur  _ tattoo, the flower on his wrist. His other hand rests on the little fox tattoo on his right side, caressing it as he kissed Jasper on the lips, leaving the hickies he left to bloom on his skin, even if they were likely to be gone tomorrow morning. 

Mac manages to get out of his sweat pants, smiling when he notices Jaspers eyes tracing his every move. He liked his husbands attention being so solely focused on him that he couldn’t help but watch him, trace his every move, letting his tongue dip out on his lips as if anticipating the taste of macs own there, his eyes tracing down over his strong arms, his abs, his cock, following him all the way down to his strong thighs, how his knees dig into the bed, how in probably moments they’re going to be digging into Jaspers side. 

Jasper shuffles forward on the king size bed, pulling Mac closer to him. Macs breath is caught, hand tracing down Jaspers chest. “Grab the lube,” Mac whispers. Neither really care that the TV is playing in the background, the noise washed out by the blood rushing in their ears, the sound of the others heavy breathing.

Jasper nods, getting off the bed to retrieve the bottle again, discarding his underwear. He turns around and finds Mac, waiting on his stomach, balanced on his forearms, closer to his side of the bed, rather than where they were cuddling on the center. 

He climbs back on, pulls out the plug and pushes it back in, teasing Mac who lets his head drop forward. Jasper can just see the face of relief he makes, can see the way his lips part without ever really having to look. Macs back dips the third time around, as if rolling into the bed. He grabs at his hips, keeping him upright and steady. 

“Jessie…”

“Working on it babe. Juuust making sure you’re ready.”

Mac gives a deep sigh, Jasper kissing up along his spine before sitting up. He finally lubes his cock, and pulls the plug out all the way, flipping Mac over onto his back, looking into his big blue eyes. Mac spreads his legs, absolutely ready to get what he wanted, what he felt he deserved. Jasper yanks him closer by the legs, positioning against him and pushing in, steady. Mac relaxes, moaning softly, letting Jaspers hands trail his thighs, eyes watching him, capturing his movement, how his breath stops for just a second as he bottoms out inside him. 

They pause just a moment, before he starts up again. Slow and short thrusts, pressing into every spot in him, Mac arching his hips with a bit of desperation. 

Jasper doesn’t hesitate to take care of him, starting to thrust harder, making Mac gasp, hum as he tilts his head into one of the throw pillows, hand curling into its material as he moves his hips with Jaspers thrusts. He pushes in particularly hard, Mac giving a small, almost squeaky  _ ah!  _ Panting afterwards, teeth clamping into the pillow fabric at the next hard thrust.

Jasper moans deep, working his husband over, keeping his thighs spread, hands tracing down along his skin occasionally. He leans over and kisses his neck, pushing in deep as he does so, the two chest to chest. Mac moans louder, head turning, lips landing on Jaspers ear as he kisses near his jaw. His hand loops into thick, dark hair, tugging just a bit. He whines, Jasper gyrating against him. 

“Oh Angel,” Jasper moans into his neck, grabbing his ass, thrusting in deeper. Mac takes a sharp breath, rocking down to match his pace, pulling himself up just enough for a kiss. It’s almost as if Jasper can’t help himself, hips pulling out a bit before snapping forward. Mac parts gasping, hips stalled in midair, letting Jasper grab him, gyrate inside him, kiss at his neck, his body. 

He thrusts in hard again, groaning in his husband's neck, then snaps forward again, biting at him. He holds him up, Mac moaning out. His neck arches, head falling back. Jasper can feel his ring dragging against his skin, his nails biting into the lichtenberg scar, making fresh scratches on the dark, discolored skin. His legs clamp down against his ribs, Jasper moaning hot and heavy against him.

Sharp thrusts hitting Mac’s prostate, and his moans are out of his control, half moaning, half repeating Jaspers name. Each thrust sends him rocking upward, sends his eyes rolling back, sends him deeper into a euphoria that Jasper had seen come over him before, yet everytime felt like he’d never seen Mac fall into it before. 

Mac gasps, breathing sharp and fast, tugging at his hair. Jasper is overwhelmed with it all, with how tight Mac gets around him, how his arms fastened to his body, how he presses himself as close as possible, how quick his breath comes in, how his heels dig into the small of his back. And just like that, every part of him dissolves right against his skin, falling apart right against him. 

Jasper feels it, that he’s getting there, his body riled, desperate to finish for Mac, but he waits, hips halted, waiting to make sure Mac is okay, pulls out slowly. Mac shakes his head, yanking him into a kiss. He hums, grabbing Jaspers hip to stop him as he pulls out. “Thrust back in,” he whispers, nodding in assurance. Jasper nods, kissing him before thrusting in hard. He moans louder than Mac this time, just a few more thrusts and he’s yanking Mac right up against his body. Jasper bites into Macs shoulder, rocking deep and frantic inside Mac, who’s panting heavy. 

Then they spill over the precipice together, Mac clearly a bit cross eyed from two heavy orgasms. Jasper can hardly look up for a good two minutes, just breathing heavy against Mac. He tilts his head, giving him a kiss on the cheek, scruff scraping against smooth skin. It makes him smile, soft and lazy, his big blue eyes opening and they’re soft and a bit watery. 

“I think I did you out,” Jasper teases and Mac laughs, kissing him gently.

“I think you did too.”

They sit there, quiet, forehead to forehead, until a laugh track plays behind them and they’re brought right back into the consciousness of their home, of the TV still being on.

“Shit, I really hope Riley and Jack left.”

Jasper laughs. “Yeah, otherwise we’d all have to sit at breakfast tomorrow and pretend like you  _ weren’t  _ moaning at the top of your lungs.”

Mac smiles, letting his arms flop over his head, body easing into the bed, like he was made of honey. His skin almost glowing from sweat, and his cum. Jasper eases on next to him, tucked into the crook of Macs arm, pulling him in against him and kissing him gently on his head. Mac smiles, tilting his head up, Jasper giving him a kiss to his puckered lips. 

“It’s cold.”

“Well, I’ll run us a warm bath, and then put you in something warm,” Jasper said. He had the AC on high since he tended to run a lot warmer than Mac, who took all the blankets anyways at night. Or at least, as much as his body could scour before he formed a blanket dome, huddled somewhere in the center, what could not fit in the dome, spilling out as mere scrap edges for Jasper to use. This was most nights. Jasper had a spare blanket. 

Mac lays on the bed, reaching out his arms. “Hold me, please,” he says sweetly, Jasper laughing and going to lift him into his arms, carrying him to their ensuite bathroom. 

He deposits Mac on the marble sink countertop, cold beneath his skin, goosebumps rising as he watches Jasper drape a robe over his broad shoulders, moving to set up the bath. He assesses the oils and foliage he keeps to make beautiful, muscle soothing baths. Mac lets his fingers trail along the cold marble, forward and back as if it was the skin on his husbands arms. 

The bath fills without haste, a honey colored bath bomb creates gold glitter and deep yellow orange water. Jasper puts in gold leaf to decorate, and a handful of rose petals. Jasper turns off the water, shrugging the robe back off. 

“You get in first,” Mac says softly. “Want to lay on your chest.”

Jasper smiles, kissing Mac softly before going to settle in the bath, Mac slowly following, sinking into the water together, holding each other, Jasper gently massaging his thighs.

The document was open, and Mac couldn’t stop reading it.  _ Young mother, pregnant with a girl, looking to give up the child at birth.  _ There was more to it, but Mac was starting to like the idea a lot of a little baby girl. A new born, small, fits in the palm of his hand, baby girl. Tiny little cries, tiny tufts of hair. Everything about it sounded appealing, made him ache in parts of his heart that he didn’t know existed.

“We should fill out the application,” Jasper whispers.

“Do we fill out more than one?”

“Maybe… why don’t we just start with one at a time.”

Mac nods, and part of him feels like it won’t happen, but he clicks the application and Jasper leans over him to look at the questions, and they fill it out together. Mac looks up at him, and Jasper squeezes his side. 

“All we have to do is click the little submit button.”

“What if it doesn’t work out?”

“There’s many a child in the world in need of two very loving parents. And well we have so much love, it’s selfish not to share with other human beings. Especially young ones in need of love.” 

Mac smiles, kissing Jasper. 

“It’ll all work out for the better, Angel.”

**\- Jacks Apartment the next morning -**

Riley wakes up feeling hung over, mostly from all the sugar she ate last night. Jacks couch was red and velvet and very comfortable. She moans, plopping her pouty face back to the couch, under the throw pillow she’s been using. She can tell Jack is awake somewhere, but she’s not too conscious. 

She hears him talking to someone, voices hushed, but she can’t hear anything they’re saying. She falls back asleep and when she wakes up again, the apartment is empty and quiet. She stands, going to the bathroom and washing her face. 

The house is empty, and her phone is lost somewhere on the floor between the blankets that fell off her when she had stumbled up to the sink. She wants to check, see if Billy texted. She’s spent the whole night pretending to pay attention to Jacks favorite movies and laughed along to his commentaries, but all she could think about is the intimate date nights her and Billy had, the trip to her grandmothers that they took. 

She couldn’t help but remember the way he kissed down her neck, how gentle his hands were as they pulled her shirt forward, balled up in his fists. He’d say something smooth, kiss her lips lightly, then a lot deeper. 

She takes a deep breath, trying to remind herself it doesn’t matter. That he cheated. It wasn’t true love if he was willing to hurt her. She has been so go go go after their break up, trying to keep her mind off of it. Doing anything to run from it. She goes on over to the house, hoping it’ll be hustle and bustle, but finds the door locked, can vaguely hear voices on the other side of the door. She knocks, and there is no answer. She sighs, head banging on the door before she drags herself back to Jacks apartment. She shuts the door and locks it.

She turns the AC on high, closes the shades, turns on the TV and wraps herself in all the blankets. She buries her face into the blankets, and if she focuses enough on the TV she won’t cry. Instead she just falls asleep. 

She wills herself up, and goes back to the house again. The door is unlocked and there’s a note saying there was food in the fridge if Riley got hungry. She takes the note off as she walks in and meanders to the kitchen, where (she assumes) Jasper had left food, there were a few parts, one container of hard boiled eggs, one container of fruit salad, one container with what she thinks is oatmeal. She takes the container with the fruit salad and mixes it in with the oatmeal before putting it in the microwave. 

She stares at her phone as the clock ticks down on her food. She opens her old texts with Billy, seeing his last text, her heart pounding in her chest.  _ I just want to know what happened, Riles. Won’t you talk to me, babe?  _ She closes it, holding the phone to her chest, letting the tears well in her eyes. She can’t, she can’t do it. She can’t text him. She can’t let herself give in like that. 

She turns off her phone, and makes herself coffee to match her oatmeal. The microwave blares as she pours the water into the machine and puts in one of the fancy flavored k-cups. She waits as her coffee finishes, taking a spoon and stirring together her oatmeal. She leans against the counter, and all the things that she would say to him come to mind.  _ I know you cheated. What does she have that I don’t? Did you love her? Did you love me? What was the point of it all if you were just going to see other women? Was I not good enough?  _

She wants answers and yet is too afraid to ask. Too afraid to find out. Too afraid to see the answers that he has to offer. Afraid she’ll just end up back in his arms, and working for Mama, and pretending it’s all okay. That he never hurt her, and she never left, and Mama probably hates her now. Probably won’t ever trust her again. 

She takes a bite of oatmeal, and tells herself it wasn’t meant to be. She wonders if Mac has ever felt like this, or if everything just worked out perfectly for him. 

**\- NYU School of Arts and Science -**

Mac wanders the class, watching as they read over their labs, making himself available for questions, but most of the freshmen seemed terrified to even think of asking something. They all glance up and glance back down as he lingers to see what they’re circling or highlighting or reading. They all seem so nervous. He would think after a few weeks in, they’d be comfortable with him.

Some, more than others, were. 

Lauren was one of them, head snapping up as he stands beside her. “I don’t know what this means.”

She points to a sentence and looks to Collin, who he’d conveniently made her lab partner. Collin gets the hint and looks up. “I know he does,” he tells her.

“But I asked you.”

“How about, if I loop back around and Collin hasn’t given you a sufficient answer, I’ll explain it. Full detail.”

“Is this because I was late?”

“No. It's because you have an extremely helpful partner who knows the answer.”

Collin is trying to peak at what she circled and she sighs, turning back to Collin, brow raised. Her girlfriend was placed on the other side of the room, where Mac knew they couldn’t be a distraction to each other, and really, Lauren had seemed too relieved. He had a feeling said girlfriend was going to drop the class anyways. 

He walks away, and lets the two figure out the lab as they go. Collin and Lauren bicker in hushed voices and then much louder voices when they actually have to do the experiment. Mac smiles, sends Jack a text  _ I have two students who are a lot like us when we met. Isn’t that funny? All they do is fight.  _

_ Jack: They’re gonna be best friends in a month. _

_ Mac: I think they already are and are just too stubborn to admit it.  _

And just as the lab ends and everyone finishes cleaning up, saving their reports, Collin and Lauren walk up as always, and ask questions, look for validation, let Mac check their numbers. The only other two to do this were Finn and Cassie. In his other class it was Steve and Jerry, and the two girls in front of them, Kyra and Dyna. (Yes he put them together because their names have a nice jingle to them). 

Finn and Cassie come up with their own papers, trying to listen to Macs critiques. They try to see if their own papers have the same mistakes in their numbers, Mac going through each step, praising the two on their work, and giving feedback in other places. 

“The four of you, don’t forget on Friday we’re holding the first study session in my office,” he reminds them. “Do you have your lab report done?”

“No, we’re going to give it next class,” Lauren says and Mac nods. 

Cassie and Finn stepping forward. “I told your girlfriend we’re going out tonight,” Cassie informs Lauren. She nods. 

“Lets get Ramen in K-town.”

Cassie seems surprised that Lauren genuinely wants to hang out with her, and she nods after a moment of thought. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll be at your dorm by 6?”

Lauren nods, and looks to Collin. “I guess you can come too,” she invites and he rolls his eyes.

“Not that I  _ want  _ to come.”

“You don’t have a choice,” she infroms him. “Finn are you coming?”

Finn looks up from his question, and Mac observes the group as they reluctantly fall into place. “Yeah, I’ll join.”

“Then we’re all meeting at my dorm at 6. I’m dorm 542.”

\- The Petite Triumph Bakery - 

Riley walks in, looking around the mostly empty bakery. The only noise comes from the kitchen, where it sounds like something is banging vaguely in the background. She wanders towards the counter, stands there, rising on her toes and then back down, fingers tapping at the counter, wondering if she could venture behind the counter. There’s a bell there that she’s tempted to press, she wonders if he’ll smile when he sees her there: genuinely smile, happy that she came to see him. 

She doesn’t know how to handle any of the machinery, the fancy coffee machines, the insane amount of stuff used to decorate the plates of desserts. She doesn’t think she’d be much help, that she could never learn every dish of his, or recreate the plates of showy desserts, especially the ones he lights on fire. 

Riley stands there and she wants to walk back out before Jasper notices she’s there, and she catches a glimpse of him in the kitchen, his button up undone, hair a mess, hands covered in flour and chocolate. It sounds like a video is playing, as he has a giant spatula. It sounds like he’s scraping something off the marble counters, and she slowly turns and leaves, hoping he doesn’t notice her. 

Though as fate would have it, just as she gets to the door, he walks out. “Riley? You scared the living hell out of me, what are you doing sneaking around?” he calls, washing his hands at the sink in the front, grabbing a dish towel, drying his hands as he walks around the counter. 

“It just seemed like you were busy with something, so I didn’t want to bother you or anything. Really, I can just go if-”

“Go? You just got here. Why don’t I make you a coffee, and you come to the kitchen with me. I’m just trying to temper chocolate as perfectly as possible. I’m never great with chocolate, and well I want to get better. Mac usually likes to watch me, but he’s not here.”

She smiles. “Yeah, sure,” she says, trying to be genuine. “How was your date night?” it sounds more bitter than she intends, really.

“I wouldn’t call it a date night, but it was really nice.” 

“What would you call it?”

“Uh…” he shrugs. “A prolonged cuddle session, I guess,” he says.

She nods, squinting at him and he nods, certain that’s the answer he’s going to stick with. “It was nice,” he continues. “We watched friends, we had our dessert, drank a bit. Mac has some school drama that he wanted to vent about.”

She nods. “That’s nice,” she says. “That you guys can vent to each other and stuff like that.”

“Yeah… it’s good to have people to talk to, even if said people aren’t your…. Significant other, per se.”

“I have people I can talk to.”

“I know, I’m just not one of them,” Jasper says. “But Mac is, so if anything is… layin on your heart, you can go to him. I promise, the second you need me to take a ‘business trip’ or something, I can go.”

“Thats not what I meant,” Riley says softly.

“Isn’t it?” 

“It’s not. I promise you.”

Jasper nods, going to the coffee machine and starting on making he a latte. The silence weighs heavy between them, as she watches Jasper. She wants to curl in on himself, she didn’t want him to leave his own house for her. She doesn’t want him to think he hates her, was it that obvious that she didn’t trust him? 

“I just don’t have anything to talk about,” She tries and he nods, handing her the mug. 

“Sure, Riley. Jack gets her in a couple of hours,” he says. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

She nods, realizing her invitation to join has been redacted, that his voice has become too sugary sweet and his southern accent to honey thick to be genuine. He doesn’t offer her anything else, and Riley really doesn’t want it, She takes her cup and sits at the furthest, most out of sight corner she can. She can only imagine the text he sends Mac, maybe saying how much he hated her, maybe asking when she’d leave.

It wasn’t the text he sent at all. In fact, Jasper sends Mac a text saying maybe he should leave a few days, let Riley work out her hearts business without feeling suffocated by his presence. Mac doesn’t seem to agree, and Jasper knows that maybe it’s a reach, but he thinks Riley needs the space. That Riley needs Mac and Jack without him in the picture. 

Jack gets there, and Jasper is staring at first class tickets to Ohio, he looks at the screen and looks at Jasper. “Does Mac know about this?” he sounds more betrayed than Mac ever would. 

“Well, theoretically. I mentioned it via text and he said no and then i said that maybe if it made Riley feel better and he texted me that we’d talk about it later.”

“And here you are, buying this ticket. Man, I’m telling you, she does not feel as hurt as you think she does about you being here-”

“She does.”

“What?”

“She hates me, or she at least isn’t comfortable with me. And I’d be an idiot to think that I’m not… standing in the way of her healing. She came here because she needs you and Mac and instead she’s facing me being apart of your lives. I don’t think she is capable of moving on until I’m out of the picture for a while. I don’t have to leave tomorrow or anything, but I just think… I just don’t think I’m helping her.”

Jack sighs, looking to the door, hoping she doesn’t hear them whispering. “Yeah, we’ll see what Mac has to say.”

Mac sits in the office with the two of them, staring at the weekend, Friday and he returns Monday. He chews on the pen he’s holding, at the cap, nervously twisting it occasionally between his fingers.

“If you think… that this is what’s best, then I’m not going to stop you,” Mac says finally. 

“You agree with him?” Jack blurts out. “Come on man, you know you’re being ridiculous. Riley loves you as much as I love you-”

“No she doesn’t,” Jasper says. “She doesn’t love me. And she doesn’t have to. I want her to get better, and I don’t want her getting worse to be at my expense.”

“Mac?”

“I think Jasper has a PhD in psychology and his judgement is a bit more valid than my feelings about him leaving for a weekend. Besides, me and you are going to be fine. There came a time before we lived without a rich man who adored us and made us cake all the time.”

Jasper scoffs, Macs voice having taken a tone of mockery and whimsey. “Yes, there was once a time where you didn’t have me, but never such a time you weren’t a spoiled Brat.” 

Mac shoves him playfully. “You love me no matter how bratty I can be.”

“You’re right. I’m ridiculously biased.”

“Back to the problem at hand here-” Jack starts and Jasper shakes his head.

“I’m the problem.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I do.”

“This isn’t the solution.”

Mac finalizes the ticket sale before Jack can argue and offers Jasper his laptop back. “It is now,” Mac says. “He goes for three days, we tell Riley he has to see his family for something or other.”

Jack scowls and Jasper rubs his arm. “I know you mean well, Jacky, but we gotta face the music. She doesn’t like for a second that I’m here, and I’m not gonna make her life harder by being here. I want her to heal and move on, and I want her to… come to terms with what's hurt her. I want her to work things out, and I want her to have the time she was looking to have with you and Mac. I don’t want to stand in the way of that. Stand in the way of you guys being able to help her.”

Jack sighs. “Fine, doesn’t mean I gotta like you leaving or anything.”

“Didn’t ask you to. Besides, I’m not leaving forever. I’m coming back on Monday. Then you gotta deal with my annoying ass all over again.”

“We like you, annoying or not,” Mac reminds. He gives Jasper a kiss and then goes out to the front by Michelle and smiles.And while he doesn’t want Jasper to be away, especially while Mac is off on the weekend, he certainly doesn’t disagree with him. One weekend won’t hurt. 

“Everything okay? You guys were in there a while,” Michelle says softly and he nods. 

“Bakery is going to be closed this weekend. Jasper has a family obligation in Ohio, so he has to go in for a few days. He’ll be back by Monday, and I’ll make sure you’re compensated.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine.”

“Are you okay?”

“I am also fine. Everything is… fine. Don’t worry about it, honestly,” Mac says softly, running a hand gently through Michelle’s hair, and she smiles.

“Long as your sure.”

“Absolute, shelly. Now come on, lets fill the shelves before Jasper is upset we haven’t.”

Riley looks at Mac curled up on the couch with Cadmium, rubbing her belly as she pants happily as any dog could be. She sits up, suddenly alert, and Mac glances out at the large panel of windows. “What do you see?” he asks softly, of course she doesn’t answer. She’s a dog.

Riley sits down, on the couch nearest to Mac, unable to stop watching him. It occurs to her he’s very nice to look at, his clear skin, his handsome facial structure, how he had just barely any stubble, but it suited him so well. How his blue eyes shined. She thinks it’s probably much easier to fall in love with him than not. She thinks the whole love thing must take no work on Jaspers part.

Mac doesn’t seem to notice her watching, smushing his face in his dogs neck, resting there. Cadmium whines, resting her head ontop of his, as if sensing his dismay in something. He hugs her and she leans against him, comforting him. Riley notes that his dog seems almost trained to ease any sadness or anxiety he might feel, and she wonders if that was her purpose. To be a service dog, and Mac just could never admit it. She doesn’t think to ask.

Jasper comes downstairs, in shorts and a tshirt. He looks at her, and looks at Mac and seems to make a split second decision. “I’m going to work out,” he says. “I’ll be in the gym downstairs.”

It’s not for her that he says it and Mac looks up. 

“But it’s so late.”

“My gym buddy wasn’t around today, and so I didn’t get to work out. Promise I’ll be back though.”

“I know you’ll be back, I’m just gonna miss you,” Mac says, and Jasper smiles. He leans over the couch and kisses Mac, who seems whole heartedly invested in the kiss, heart broken that Jasper would ever part from him. He leans back, into his chair and Cad lays her big fluffy body on him, settled for cuddles. 

“Is everything okay between you two?” Riley asks when Jasper leaves.

“Everything is fine,” Mac says. “He just has to go see Julius and Mel for the weekend. I’m not going or anything, I’m just going to miss him.”

“Why is he going?”

“It’s… private. I can’t really say.”

She nods, eyes scanning Mac but he seems to move on, changing the show that was on to something else, not minding her at all.

“So he’s just going away for a weekend.”

“Yeah.”

“No other reasons?”

“For him going away? No.”

She nods, hugging a pillow to her chest. “Well, at least we’ll have the house to ourselves,” She says, and Mac nods, almost uncomfortable. “We can have a girls night,” she jokes. “Like we used to, to make Bozer laugh until we got him to have fun with us.”

Mac smiles. “I think it’ll be fun. We can order a pizza.”

“Yeah, his rules don’t count if he’s not here.”

She can see Macs face twist with words that he doesn’t say, just hums and nods. “You’re right. Ice cream for breakfast and all,” he says, almost joking but it sounds a bit flat.

She drops the subject, figuring whatever was going on, Mac wasn’t too happy about it. She wonders if that was her, if maybe they were fighting, if they were fighting over her. It’s safe to say she’s very quiet the rest of the night. 

**\- Friday -**

Mac rolls over in bed, nuzzling into Jasper as his alarm goes off. He had to leave to the airport, preferably in the next two hours, and Mac didn’t want him to go, or get up, or let him get up, and he knew Jasper had to go, but that didn’t make it any easier. Jasper hums, turning off the alarm, Mac scooching to press as close as he can, hugging Jasper.

“It’s just three days, you’ll hardly notice I’m gone,” Jasper says softly. 

“I’ll notice. And then I’ll miss you, a lot.”

Jasper kisses the pout off his lips, one kissing becoming two, Mac wrapping his arm around him. 

“We can stay in bed a little longer.”

“We could…”

Mac leans over and kisses him, hugging him tightly as possible, leaning deeper into the kiss. Jaspers hand squeezes his back, knotted into his shirt. They’re tangled into each other, neglecting to let go. 

“You’re welcome to join me in the shower,” Jasper says softly, Mac smiling, nudging him up and they trudge to the shower together, stripping. They melt under warm shower water, hands trailing the other softly. Mac nuzzles into him, resting his head on Jaspers shoulder. Jasper hugs him loosely, kissing his temple.”You’ll be okay, right?”

“Yeah,” Mac says, turning to grab their body wash, drizzling it onto the loofa and rubbing over Jaspers chest, over his neck, down towards his navel. Jasper kisses his temple, letting Mac wash him. “Besides, I can eat pizza until I’m sick and then I’ll  _ need  _ a cleanse.”

Jasper laughs, taking the loofah to wash Mac. He runs it over his arms, his neck, down his back, the water washing over Mac directly, the soap washing off as soon as he scrubs it on. 

It’s not long before they’re rinsed off, and Jasper has changed into airport clothes, Mac downstairs in the kitchen making coffee. He hands Jasper his to go mug, and kisses him. They settle on the stools in the kitchen, Mac running a hand gently over Jaspers neck, glancing back at the fur-de-lis tattoo that resides there. His knuckles trace it gently, curiously. 

“You need to get it touched up, it’s fading.”

Jasper hums. “Let it fade. I don’t really want it there.”

“Why not?” Mac asks, tracing it. It’s always been part of him to Mac, the tattoo that distinctly lay on the back of his neck. 

“I should’ve gotten it removed a long time ago… I never told you how I got it?”

“No..”

“When I finished my bounty training… If we can call it that, we made a silver bullet or arrow head or blade. And if we were exceptionally good, my uncle would tattoo us with the family crest. So at 17, when I finished I made a silver knife with our code carved into it. And he tattooed the crest on the back of my neck.”

“Oh…” Mac presses his lips together, tracing it. “Well it’s almost faded, you can get something else there. A butterfly or something.”

“Why a butterfly?”

“Because you love them a lot.”

Jasper smiles, kissing Mac softly. “I was thinking maybe I’d actually get more tattoos on my left arm.” He shows Mac his arm, Mac tracing over the  _ soleil de mon coeur  _ tattoo that curved around his flower tattoo, examining it. “Like… I wanted to get around the swiss army knife, a few planets, a sort of solar system looking thing. And i wanted to get a few more similar to the flower tattoo. Maybe more flowers. I want to get maybe another tattoo for you.”

Mac laughs. “Such as…”

“A sunflower stretching over the fox, and maybe a sleeping fox next to it, because you like sunflowers.”

“Is the sleeping fox me?”

“Metaphorically speaking.”

Mac smiles, kissing him. “Come on, we gotta get you going. When is your ride getting here?”

“Fifteen minutes. We can start bringing my stuff downstairs, and I have to make sure I took everything, passport and wallet and everything.”

Mac nods, reluctantly pulling away, hand running down Jaspers neck, down his arm until he passes him, going to the stairs. Riley is fast asleep in her room, and he thinks that maybe it’s better shes sleeping, that she doesn’t get to say goodbye to Jasper. 

“You okay?” Jasper asks, following him up the stairs.

“I just hate that she’s so cold to you.”

“She’s not  _ cold  _ to me, she’s just… not adjusting with me here. This was a me decision, not a Riley decision. Don’t let her think that.”

“I guess… I just, I don’t want her to think you’re the bad guy, you’re  _ not. _ ”

“Either way, it’s okay. She needs you now, you have to be there for her. And I know you’re doing everything you can, but just give her your time this weekend. That’s all.”

Mac nods, stopping at the top of the stairs to face his husband, letting him cup his face, the early morning light spilling from the floor to ceiling windows as Jasper kisses his head, painted orange and pink by the morning. Glowing from the sun, and Mac wraps his arms around Jasper. 

“I’m coming back, you dope.”

“I know, just gonna miss you,” Mac whispers. He kisses Jaspers cheek, letting Jasper kiss him, swaying forward just slightly. “Come on, let's get your bags and bring you downstairs.”

It’s late in the morning, Mac just walking in from his run with Cadmium, she trots around him happily, tongue out and panting as she follows him to the kitchen. Mac takes out an earbud, smiling as he brings her to the kitchen, cooing in a high pitched babying voice to his dog, amping her up for a treat. She smiles, following him to the kitchen.

The house was mostly quiet, it was ridiculously quiet compared to a normal Friday morning, Jasper singing in the kitchen at the top of his lungs, Music playing somewhere behind him. There was always the scent of new york cheesecake pancakes: because they were Macs favorites. 

But the house smelled like floor cleaner from Mac mopping last night, and the powder Jasper let set into the carpet before vacuuming. Other than Mac talking to Cadmium, it was quiet. No music, no pancakes, nothing but Mac and Cad as she walks into the kitchen. Mac is at the counter, a little jar of oats and milk in front of him. He’s reading on his phone, an article about  _ Elon Musks Race to Space _ as he chews on a spoonful of oats. 

She thinks for a moment maybe she misses Jasper. 

“Morning,” Mac says, giving her a smile. “Uhh I prepped you a thing of oats last night, I can’t cook so no pancakes. There’s also the leftover cheesecake he always gets me on Thursday nights.”

“Don’t you want that? You love cheesecake.”

“Trust me, I had enough last night.”

She nods, she vaguely remembers sitting on the opposite couch as Jasper and Mac cuddled in his arm chair, Mac slowly chipping away at the giant plate of cheesecake. How he’d occasionally feed Jasper bites. She recalls vaguely how Mac would kiss at his jaw occasionally, along his beard. She doesn’t consider what they did  _ after  _ she went to bed, somehow it feels wrong to take up the offer. 

“Do you have cereal?”

“I don’t eat it, and Jasper thinks it’s not healthy, so he never eats it either. I can go get you some if you want.”

“I’ll eat what you made,” She offers, taking out the jar of oats, and looking at the mix. “What is it?”

“Granola, oats, chia seeds, almond milk, and berries. And trust me, if I’m eating it, it obviously doesn’t taste bad.” 

Riley nods, sitting next to him. “So… why did he really leave?”

“Jasper is visiting his team because they’re like family to him, and he needs to make sure his family is okay. Whatever that means right now, it’s not for me to say.”

“But we’re family,” She says and he smiles.

“The rules of marriage is what happens between you two, stays between you two. Especially when that includes talks about the others family.” He takes a deep breath. “I know you want to think it’s you, Riles, but it’s not. Jasper loves you, more than you can give him credit for. But he had to go see his family, I’m not going to be the one to tell you why. But like you said, it’s an us weekend. We can use his fancy expensive facial stuff,” Mac whispers teasingly. She smiles. “And drink the nice champagne we keep in the closet. Always say we’re gonna drink it but never do. Nothing ever feels special enough.”

“This is special enough?”

“Of course. You’re like my baby sister, so you’re always special enough.” 

She smiles, knocking her shoulder to his and he smiles. “You sure you’re okay drinking the special champagne with me?”

“Of course. Besides, all I do is talk to him and think about him, so no boys weekend. Just me and you… maybe Jack but he has a date tomorrow.”

“With who?”

“One of the customers, they’ve had crushes on each other forever but he would never admit it.” 

“At the bagel store?”

Mac scoffs. “You really think he works at a bagel store?”

“Does he… not?”

“He’s the head of the security team Jasper has all over New York that he and Jack think I don’t know exist.”

“Why do they think they would hide that from you?”

“I never really told anyone this but… I was diagnosed with severe op related anxiety, and pretty bad day to day anxiety when in certain environments. I guess they just…. Figured if I didn’t know, it couldn’t hurt me. So… I know, I just usually pretend not to know. I don’t like to think about it, and really Jack just over sees the security team. It’s not… a big deal. I still have to take a certain medication daily but… it’s okay.”

“Oh…” Riley nods, looking to him. “So… Jasper didn’t tell you…”

“Because he’s protecting me. But he’s too important to not be fully out of it. I know that sometimes he… has to deal with covert op related things. I know he has the whole city secured in case of anything. I know he keeps weapons in a panel behind the bookshelf and one in the entry hallway behind our security system. I  _ know. _ But I don’t like knowing, so I usually just pretend I don’t.”

“So… he met the woman at the bakery.”

Mac laughs. “Yeah… he met her at the bakery.”

**\- You wouldn’t know it if I told you, Ohio. Zip Code: None of your Business -**

Kaori unlocks the door, having taken over his tiny cottage. “I mayyy have redecorated,” she warns and he laughs.

“Okay, should I be scared?”

“No but it looks more me than it does cozy martha stewart place right out of a magazine. She’s…. More chic now, and the cats all have little homes that Mel and I built them.”

“Little homes?”

She opens the door, and the once lavender walls were hot pink now, designed with neon drawings, mostly abstract, some looking like women in movement, some looking like simple drawings such as the sun or moon or stars. She had hung up neon lights all throughout the house, he can see in the kitchen little buildings that look like houses, with each of his cats names, all painted different colors with different decorations representing each cat. 

Cappuccino and Diane Fox come running over as they see him, remembering their long term care taker as he walks in. He beams, picking them up. “Hello, I missed you,” he coos. “I missed you sweet angel.” He walks in, looking around. Kaori had left the back wall of the living room untouched. He had a hoard of paintings along there, flowers, cartoon characters, there was a painting of Kaori herself in the bottom corner that he made, making her look like a queen, surrounded by space. 

She smiles, taking his bags from the floor and bringing them to what was once his room, having taken up the guest room as hers. His room was one of the few things she preserved the same. 

“I like what you did,” he says, flopping onto the bed. 

“Nap time.”

“Nooo not yet. But a cup of coffee would be nice.”

She laughs. “Ready in the kitchen. You’re upgrade to the coffee pot is a god send, I programmed it to make the coffee when we were like within 2 miles of here.”

“So you do love me?” he teases, Kaori flopping on top of him, hugging him.

“With my whole whole heart. How is Mac doing?”

“Oh he’s doing fine.”

“Is the anxiety better?”

“Well… it’s been better, he’s psyching himself out about getting tenure at the school.”

“That’s a valid thing to be worried about.”

“Sure, but he… you know, he can get scary tense about things sometimes. He’s been okay but...I just don’t want him to drive himself crazy.”

She nods, rolling off of him. They both sit up, going to the kitchen.

“Riley is over,” he tells her, and Kaori looks up, pouring him a bright blue mug of coffee. “She uh… isn’t too keen on me, I think.”

“I thought you said they all liked you.”

“I thought they did. Maybe I was wrong, or just… hopeful.”

“When you went to california…”

“I don’t know. They all seemed so nice, but she’s so cold shoulder to me. She hates when I’m around, we can’t have a real conversation. She always assumes the worst of me… I offered her to come by the bakery and she pinned it on me saying she was lazy and needed to work. Or I make her dinner and she thinks I only do it to please Mac. We go upstairs early and I hate her, or I’m telling Mac awful things about her. She’s in a bad headspace, I get it. But… I don’t know… I thought we were at least friends.”

Kaori nods, rubbing his arms. “Friends is one thing, but realizing someone who’s like family to you is on a totally different end of the continent, living a totally different life… I mean, if he whisked you away and bought you a palace and gave you every minute of his time and I went to you, and saw how different things were, it’d hurt me too.”

“I get that, I do. I just… I don’t know how things got so tense.”

“Well, you said she was in a bad head space.” 

“She is… I know she is. I just… Me being here is good, for her. She can start to heal just a little better, I won’t be in the way. She needs Mac more than I could even need him right now.”

“You’re always the most unselfish person I know, you know that? I would never do that for someone.”

Jasper laughs, getting the creamer and making his coffee. He kisses Kaori’s head. “Come on, let’s watch something. I just want to relax.” 

“Oh, Julius and Mel are stopping by after work.”

“Good! Tell Julius he’s making us enchiladas.”

She laughs. “What? I was totally gonna make you tempura.”

“Tomorrow, I promise.” 

**\- Back in New York City, Hudson Yards -**

\- Saturday Night - 

The door to his bedroom is half open, they’re sitting on the floor, as Riley loses focus for a minute as her eyes center on the familiar silk gucci scarf that Mac had worn for months without falter, had cared for like it was a baby, sat around one of the arms of the bed. It was a minute but intimate detail, and she just remembers him wearing it everywhere, around his neck or arm, and proudly proclaiming his  _ boyfriend  _ gave it to him. It was his, and only his, and she was on his bedroom floor, with the door half open to his bedroom. 

She snaps back as Mac laughs, the two of them attempt to smear face masks on each other. Riley’s hair was up in a bun, and she’d pushed Macs hair back with her bunny ears headband. Mac smears a little more of the white clay face mask on her forehead, trying to keep it in place. 

“I think I covered every spot,” he says, Riley sitting cross legged, dabbing at the places on his face she hasn’t filled yet. 

She tries not to smile too hard. It’s been a calm two days, for the most part. If anything, the house felt a little empty when they were home, but for the most part Mac has kept her out and about. 

“So, what’s the whole story? You and Billy.”

“That depends, whats the whole story with you and Jasper.”

Mac laughs. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you were single one day and the next thing we know you’ve had a boyfriend for 8 months, who has stories to tell, except when it comes to how you guys met.”

“He was investigating Nikki and her involvement with the Organization.”

“Really?”

Mac nods, taking a strawberry and dipping it in the fondu pot, covering it strawberry before offering it to Riley who takes a bite. “I offered him information, he really only called Sarah and I in when things were desperate. So, we went. We answered questions. He was all hard questions, straight faced, but sometimes he’d… I don’t know, just for like a split second, he’d get just a little softer. Almost like he felt bad he was doing this to me, when I went to him to help him, here he was trying to point the finger at me because Nikki was feeding him that she learned this or that from me.

“He was  _ terrifying.  _ I thought there was no way that he could be liked by anyone, let alone have any personality that didn’t correlate with scary bad guy.”

“What changed?” Riley asks softly.

“I saw him on the roof when I went to get some fresh air, and he was… crying, just really upset about something. He was so embarrassed that I found him there, claimed that it was stupid. I remember telling him a list of all the really stupid things I cried over, one being an _ I Love Lucy  _ episode when I was drunk.” This makes Riley laugh. “He uh… He told me he had a boyfriend and that said boyfriend cheated on him, and admitted to it, hoping that Jasper would… I don’t know, just forgive him and move on. But he said it wasn’t because he dumped him for cheating, but because he was going to lose his reservation, and he really liked the people who owned this upscale restaurant. I uh… I remember telling him, if he really wanted to make it to dinner, I wouldn’t mind stepping in, that maybe I’d actually like spending time with him, that maybe he would like spending time with me.” 

She smiles. “I’m guessing you did.”

He laughs. “Yeah… he was funny, and charismatic, and he knew all the food on the menu, things I’d never heard of before. I watched him count to 7 and then place 7 hundred dollar bills on the tab. So that was kinda hot.”

Riley laughs. “So you were in it if for the money.”

“No, but if your accidental date pulled out 7 hundred dollar bills, you’d be at least a little turned on too. After that we… I don’t know, it’s like we just sort of trusted each other. Enough to talk between interrogation sessions, enough for him to let down his guard a little. I know he didn’t trust me all the way, I knew he’d probably still arrest me if he found any reasonable suspicion to… but then we were going on another date. And then we were hanging out sometimes. Then I’m at a bar with him-”

“Lights are shining, and you were pretty, then you kissed and that’s how Jasper got his hot guy husband. Yeah, he tells the story every time he hears the song.”

Mac laughs, knowing it’ll crease the mask but not really caring. “He does love that story. He always says a part of him just knew right away, that no matter what he’d always have me.”

“You guys know you’re grossly romantic right.”

Mac laughs, taking pretzel and dipping it in the chocolate. He has a bit of a blush, cross legged. “Okay so… I told you how I met him. Now tell me what happened with Billy.”

“I think I still need to be convinced,” she says.

“Rileyyy, come on.”

She sighs. “I don’t know… He… asked me to join him and Mama to get a skip in Paris. And.. I went. He was romantic, got us our own room. We went to this really nice place for dinner, monitoring our mark. Stake out type mission.”

“Right.”

“Even then, it was just… it felt like… like he loved me, like we were there so he could impress me. I was in the nicest dress I owned. We were in  _ Paris.  _ He promised we’d sight see after the skip was caught… I was using his phone, to listen in on the conversation, when another girls photo popped up. She was in this lacey lingerie and she was saying she missed him, that she wished he was there in bed with her.”

Mac winces, adjusting so he’s sitting more comfortably, leaning on one arm, legs curled to the side, his head tilts. “Did you ask him about it. Not that I’m defending him, or that for any reason, him seeing her or leading her on would be okay, but… I don’t know, I think I’d be dying to know why.”

“No… I never asked. I just… he came to Bozers house afterwards, to see what’s going on. And I broke up with him.”

Mac nods. “Do you miss him?”

“Sometimes.. I just wish I had him sometimes. Or, that I still saw his texts in the morning. I don’t get it, how did you and Jasper always make time?”

Mac shrugs. “We just did. 2 days off, meant a day and a half together, usually. If he was in LA for business, I could at least steal him for a night. Or I’d call him every night, just to hear his voice, know that he’s okay.”

She nods. “We called at least twice a week… he took me to see my grandmother. I just… I don’t get it.”

“So maybe you should find out. Get closure.”

“I don’t know… what if I go back to him?”

“Depends on what happens that makes you get to that point. Of trusting him enough to go back.” 

She nods. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Would you go back to Jasper if he cheated on you?”

“He would never do that… I know it in my whole heart and soul that he would never do that… I’m his and he’s mine, and it’s always going to be that way.”

She nods, squinting at him. “Is he good in bed too?”

“Have you  _ seen  _ him? There’s no way he’s not good in bed.”

She laughs. “It sounds like you wouldn’t know, but I’m pretty sure you got laid two nights ago.” 

Mac scoffs. “I would know, and I can confirm I’ve orgasmed everytime. Sometimes multiple times in a row. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s  _ bad  _ in bed.”

“You’ve orgasmed multiple times in a row?  _ How? _ ”

“Just like… looking at him. That usually does it.”

She shakes her head, checking the timer for their masks. “Ugh, I wish I could relate. Was Nikki that good?”

“I mean, early into our relationship it was fun. But by the end, we took a lot of… cabin getaways because she just thought I was too exhausted to get it up.”

Riley bursts out laughing. “Your kidding.”

“I’m not! I mean, okay, there was a point, where like, if I got it up, I’d get bored, and after she orgasmed, I’d just pretend I did too. I thought I was like… dysfunctional or something, until I saw Jaspers abs, and well, yeah. It was definitely not a problem I had.”

“Are you sure you’re not gay?”

“No. I mean okay, I did it with other girls before we really… were official, or before we even met. But… I don’t know, we waited a while before getting into that aspect of our relationship. So, I guess it just felt more… real, then someone I just went on a date with, had sex with, and then either saw like one more time, or never saw again.”

She nods, grabbing the nail polish, and setting the little foam dividers between her toes, starting to paint them a fresh color. It was a glittery black, and she thinks for a moment. “Billy was great in bed. I don’t blame her for missing him,” she says. He laughs.

“I think I’d think the same. Jasper is comfortable to sleep on. After a warm shower, when his skin is hot, and he still smells like his body wash, and his hair is all fluffy, in that really cute way it is after he showers. That’s like, the best part I think.”

She smiles. “Yeah… I used to think the afterglow was the best part too. How his voice was all soft, a little raspy. And I’d just lay on him, could feel him breathing, hear his heartbeat, feel his smile when he kissed my head.”

Mac nods. “Maybe you should talk to him… see if he’s worth that second chance.”

“You think so?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

She nods, thinking about it for a moment. “Maybe…” the timer goes off, and they both stand and go to wash off their face masks, taking turns using plush towels in warm water to wash the others face, then moisturize. 

“Do you think it’ll ever end between you two? All the love and the magic.”

Mac shrugs. “I don’t ever want it too… but I don’t know. If it did, I don’t really know what I’d do.”

“You have us.”

“It doesn’t always feel that way. Well no, that’s not true, or maybe it is a little but… What I mean is… it’s different. I  _ always  _ have him and his understanding no matter what. Its…. always us. It’s always me and jasper. Without fail. Without disregard. I don’t know how to explain it but…. its not the same. You know?”

“I mean, not really. I’ve never had someone that I trusted that much that my life would be over if I didn’t have them. Or that I wouldn’t feel supported if they weren’t there.”

“It’s not… that I wouldn’t feel supported, it’s just… we are each others go to for everything. I tell him every thought I have, I tell him about all my struggles, my feelings, the people I don’t like, or the guy who shoved a little too hard while pushing through the crowd, coming off his train on 53rd. He knows more about me than anyone, understands me more than anyone. I mean…” he sighs. “You just… you get it when you feel it. When you are there with someone, you will go ‘that’s what Mac was talking about’. He’s more than a best friend to me. He’s… My everything, and I mean that. Even if it sounds ridiculous.” 

She nods, pursing her lips. “So… under eye masks while watching a chick flick?”

“Yeah… sounds like a plan. I’ll go get the champagne, you wait in bed.”

**\- You would never even Guess Ohio. Zip Code: Sheriff County-**

It was looking like a storm was coming, the clouds getting big and a bit greenish grey, some looking faintly purple. The tornado warning sirens haven’t gone off, but the winds picked up for Jasper to know a downpour was coming. He stands at the side door steps, a basket of laundry at his hips and part of him feels 23 again, helpless at the arms of the world. 

_ He once, at 23, stood in this position, staring at the shed 15 feet exactly away, he could cross it in 6 steps if he sprinted with wide strides, and he’d not get soaked if he did so. The rain was coming down heavy, it was the middle of winter and freezing. It felt more like ice than it did water and he clutches his thin long sleeve around him, taking a breath before bolting across the mud thats formed beneath the pebble driveway and stumbling into the small, pent up shed.  _

_ He tugs and tugs at the light but the string, as he mighty as he pulls, doesn’t activate the light switch, and so he stands in the dark, not knowing what lingered and counting between thunder strikes for lightning to illuminate his journey: all the while he prays that he doesn’t get struck. _

_ He finally sees clearly enough, and without care of what bugs come to his numb, frozen fingers, he opens the dryer, the light illuminating more than anything else in the room, the door slamming and water hitting the first foot of interior, struggling with the long rusted door, trying to keep it open, and squinting in at the dim, dim light. As if the darkness were brighter than the yellow light.  _

_ He expects warmth, expects dryness. Instead he’s greeted with damp clothing. His heart beginning to shatter as he realizes everything inside wasn’t dry yet, and that his thickest sweater, the one that always kept him warm, was not yet dry. That as he pulled it out, it was the wettest piece of clothing, limping in his arms, cold, and wet, and unwearable.  _

_ He remembers yelling, remembering trying to curse but instead sobbing, falling to the dirty, molded wood floor and hugging the wet sweater and crying. Fat, overwhelming tears falling in dismay. He had never felt more helpless, and it occurs to him briefly that maybe he’d rather have suffered the abuse of his old home than have left, for then he would at least have a warm house in the winter and dry clothes. That he’d rather his father drown in him pools as tests to his ability to survive than not be able to wear this sweater, because it was the warmest thing he had to wear, and yet it was the only thing right now making him colder, making his fingers shake as they became more frozen.  _

_ He hardly gathers his wits as he shuts the dryer and turns it on again, hoping that this time the clothes would dry, and he remembers laying it on the fireplace, as he thought of how he hoped he hadn’t killed merna the spider or any of her offspring. He had quite loved merna. She had a little freckle on her head that was quite clear and thats how he knew it was her. All her children were just a bit similar, but often had odd, discolored legs, or the claws around their mouths being lighter or darker than the rest of them.  _

_ He had quite loved them, because they looked a bit broken like him. And he had fallen asleep on his itty bitty fire place hearth, waiting for the sweater to dry, waking with the cinder from the dying fire and wind coming in from the chimney along his face.  _

Stepping in was like being home again. He remembers just what to do, grabbing a stick and moving any spiders in harm. He asks, everytime, if they knew Merna. “I bet Kaori doesn’t tell you about her, but she was the best mother a little spider could ever have. You look a bit like her, do you have a name?” he pauses as if waiting. “Well why don’t i give you one. It’s an odd human thing, we name things and get attached to them like that… Why not… Mercy, because it sounds like Merna but you’re quite nice, which is like being merciful. And well, it’s merciful of you to have yet to bite me.

“I think you’re species is poisonous but I’m not sure. I never checked. You’re all just here and none of you have bit me to my knowledge. If you have, I haven’t died, so in that case, you’re not poisonous.”

He moves the one other spider on the shiny, latest model washing machine. Puts all the laundry inside with softener and soap, before figuring out how to turn it on. He steps back and looks around and feels warmth in his chest, even if the shed was quite new now, he remembers it for what it once was. All the days he spent on it’s floor, all the times he’d followed the cats in here. 

He almost wishes it was still it’s old self, perhaps crumbling and flowering with moss. He misses it, if only briefly. And he thinks, just for a moment, had he truly never left home, he would likely be dead, not 27 and living a very good, perhaps very priviledged life, with a great husband and friends and family. 

“You okay?” Kaori asks, standing in the doorway and he nods. 

“I just… remember one time, I had felt so defeated by how… jarringly different my life was without my family, i had nothing, just barely had this house. And that one time, i had been crying on the floor because my… my favorite sweater wasn’t dry, and I was so cold… and how if I had just stayed home, this never would have happened to me. But… I don’t think I’d be alive, if I was I wouldn’t be happy,” he admits, voice cracking, looking down as he tries to hold back tears and Kaori softens, stepping forward and hugging Jasper, who instantly wraps his arms around her. “I wouldn’t have you or Julius or Mel…”

“I remember those days, when you just started making a bit of money, enough to fix some things around here.”

“You didn’t like me much then.”

“If you weren’t here, I’d never have lasted. You were the only one who loved me right away, like I was your baby sister, even when I hated you for it.”

He laughs, trying hard not to cry. “I remember thinking… that I just wanted someone who would always be close to me, and love me too. You were my best bet. I guess I got my theories worth.”

“The struggle was worth it, for both of us.”

He nods. “I think we both did okay, don’t you?”

“Yeah… we both did okay.”

Theres a crack of thunder in the distance and the sound or rain starting to fall outside. “I’ll race you,” She whispers and he laughs, letting her wipe his tears before she dashes off. He tears off behind her, pulling her back before making it to the door first. 

“Cheat!”

“You cheated first!”

“I never said when to start so fair is fair!”

“You never said I couldn’t pull you back either!”

They stood there, arguing in the rain, because it was the end of summer, and now the house had proper heating and air condition. Now neither worried so much about their livelihood. Now they were okay. They were happy. And it wasn’t so bad to stand in the rain sometimes. 

It wasn’t so bad to stand in the rain sometimes. 

**\- Girls Night in Hudson Yards -**

Riley feels fidgety, walking along the walls of the room, noting the small paintings on the wall, one door still open, and she traces one of the paintings, a very detailed painting of Steven Universe along the light switch to the closet. She walks closer to the door, finding flowers painted on the back door.  _ J + A  _ scripted on one of the panels. 

She felt like she was seeing Mac in his most depth and earnest, all these little details of him, papers on the desk, paintings on the walls, photos of him and Jasper she’s never seen before. Photos of him and the team that she didn’t know he had. His scarf from Jasper, rings on the dresser, the cologne they used, the ironing board in the corner of the room. There were blankets on the arm chairs. 

She felt both like she’d been let in and shut out all at once. She wonders how many nights Mac spent on the large bed feeling so far from his husband who must have slept on the other side. She wondered how often he just lay there restless, untired, or how often he just sat in the arm chairs while Jasper slept. 

She finds on the table beside the arm chairs, on the shelf under the drawer, a book that says  _ all the things I love About Angus Macgyver _ . She flicks it over, the first picture of Mac on Grass, laughing at the top of his lungs,  _ His smile  _ is under the picture. The next page as a series of photos of Mac reading, labeled  _ his intellect.  _

“He got me that our first anniversary when we were dating,” Mac says, putting the champagne down and offering her the take out menus. “We can get whatever by the way. It’s really just a list of my favorite places.”

Riley laughs, replacing the book with the takeout menus. “Where did he order that from?”

“No where, he went to the local dollar store and he made it. I’m not really sure how he polaroid printed those pictures but, whatever it is, I love seeing it. It’s funny, because I made him this watch since the one he had at the time was always breaking, not working right. So I got all the parts and made one for him, with a little magnet and little magnetic pieces that look like planets-” he pauses, going to fish it out of a little box on the dresser. 

Riley gasps, taking it. “I remember you making this, you were so hell bent on finishing it, it was all you did in the lab for like 2 weeks.”

“And it still works.”

She smiles, looking it over. “I think it’s just as good if not better than the book.”

“I think the book is more special to me than most things. I mean, okay you have to see this painting he made of me in there.”

“He  _ paints _ .”

“He loves to paint.” 

Mac takes the book, opens to a page where Jasper had painted a portrait of Mac, eyes white, surrounded by a cloud of stars. “He was very into space paintings a few years ago,” he explains. “Now he likes to do like… nature and following bob ross episodes when he has the time for it. Usually he just takes all that creative energy out on his cupcakes and stuff now.”

Riley nods, her interest rekindling in the takeout menus, some of them to much nicer places, some of them to very casual places. 

“The indian place looks very well used,” she says, showing the menu with circled items, scribbled numbers and ingredients, and little doodles. Mac laughs, settling in an arm chair, Cadmium coming in and sitting under his legs, letting him recline on her. He reaches down and rubs her head. 

“Jasper has a long lost battle with trying to figure out how to make indian food without a recipe. He says true chefs just know.To which I argue, they know when it’s foods and dishes they’re familiar with, but how can he know if he’s not as familiar with indian spices. He says it’s just a feeling.”

“Has he ever made a dish successfully?”

“No.”

She nods, pursing her lips in interest, and she sits down and they go through the menus, Mac giving his input on favorite dishes, on foods he likes. Eventually they decide to go with Ramen, and get tempura and eggrolls beside it. They stay curled up in the couches, Mac texting someone, she assumes Jasper or Jack.

He puts his phone down and settles in the chair.

“What’s on your mind, Riles?” 

He pulls his legs up on the chair, hugs his knees. Riley shrugs, smiling a bit.

“Just nice to spend time with you,” She says. “Do you like where you work?”

“Yeah I do. I’m trying to get a tenure position by next year, but I don’t know, there’s a guy in the science department now, he’s a bio teacher, but he’s like… really competitive. I guess he wants the tenure position in the department before me, and he’s always sort of in my business and my space.”

“Do you want me to hack him for you?”

Mac laughs. “No, no, it’s okay. I mean… maybe, we’ll see. I mean, I’ve decided to just like tutor his biology students anytime they complain, and it almost always works out in my favor. He’s stupidly hard with his work, I mean I know I’m a tough professor, and I know my homework is above average work, but it’s not hard for the sake of being hard, and if a student genuinely is struggling I’ll help them. I teach my kids all the work, I know that I went over it with them, if they feel that I didn’t, I’ll do it again. You know?”

“Right, and I’m guessing he isn’t that guy.”

“Maybe it’s too soon to tell.”

She laughs. “I think teaching suits you, gives a chance to geek out at all costs.”

“Yeah it does, and on the rare day that I don’t want to think about science ever, I just play a movie or make them do crafts. For Chemistry 100, I usually at least once a semester do a craft, and have them do a chemical bond using tiny paper plates, but they can do it however they want, cut them smaller, use those bendy felt sticks, decorate it however they want. And I don’t tell them this, but the ugliest one gets hung up the rest of the semester and they get a free pass on a test.”

Riley laughs. “Do you still have them?”

“Yes! In a box downstairs, I have the two. I didn’t do Chemistry this summer, so I don’t have any from the summer, but I always love seeing that one student who just makes a total mess of a bond, it’s not even correct.”

“I would be that student.”

“Riley, you are literally not allowed to be. If you failed my class, I’d disown you.”

“You speak science like it’s a different language. How does Jasper even keep up with you.”

“He has a PhD in chemistry so it’s not hard.”

“You’re joking right.”

“Nope, he taught Chemistry and Criminal Psychology. Julius set him up to get degrees throughout his course at Zeus by doing whatever work, and he did the same for me. So, he has a bunch of great degrees. According to Julius he just took all those classes and work like it was nothing. So he has a degree in Psychology with a specification of Criminal Psychology. He also has the PhD in chemistry… one in biology.”

“So he’s a supergenius like you.”

“Uhhh yeah pretty much. With hobbies that aren’t science because he gets stressed and has to… take that out somehow. Baking and art make him happy. It’s what he deserves.” 

She nods. “Are you happy? You deserve to be happy too you know.”

Mac smiles. “Yeah, I am happy. I am… doing something I love, and it’s not dangerous or life threatening, and I’m surrounded by people I love. And I have the best puppy in the whole world, don’t I Cadmium?”

Cadmium yelps, sitting up and resting her head between his legs on the couch. He smiles, rubbing her head. “Do I seem unhappy?” he asks Riley, and she shrugs.

“I don’t know… you just seem to have everything figured out, and put together, and you go on vacations and hikes over the weekend, and you and Jasper always seem perfectly in step.”

“Too good to be true, huh?” he teases. 

She smiles. “Does it feel that way?”

“Sometimes… He  _ is  _ too good to be true a lot of the time. And I know my life was good before, but I don’t know..”

“It’s different,” she says, mimicking what he’s said all night. That Jasper was  _ different.  _

He laughs. “Yeah. But… you know, I’m here for you too, right? We don’t have to have girls night for you to open up to me. I’m not  _ that  _ busy. I have time for you and time to listen to you.”

“I… I know that.”

“So… don’t be such a stranger. You came here I’m assuming to be able to lean on me, you don’t have to isolate yourself.” 

She smiles, offers her hand in a silent thank you, and he squeezes her hand tight. Then the upstairs door buzzer rings, and he goes to the wall outside where it is. She sits and waits as he goes downstairs to get dinner, and she feels a little more settled at heart, about her life, about her place in Macs life. 

**\- Sunday Afternoon -**

Mac rolls over in bed, half expecting Jasper to be there, hand landing on a mound of fur instead of a human body and his eyes flutter open to find Cadmium laying there, sleeping peacefully. He smiles, and he knows he’ll have to wash the sheets because Jasper hates when Caddy sleeps in the bed. But it’s not too big of a deal. He rolls over and grabs his phone, reading  _ 9 am.  _

The next thing he sees is an email from the adoption agency, his heart skipping a beat as he opens the email, only for his face to fall.  _ Dear Angus and Jasper Macgyver-Sheriff, We regret to inform you that application you sent is invalid, the woman you are seeking is no longer looking for applications at this time, and has already made her decision for who takes up the child. We appreciate your care, and we hope you are not discouraged from applying again.  _

He takes a deep breath, fingers shaking as he goes to call Jasper. He’s sent to voicemail twice, and he tries to imagine what Jasper is doing- sleeping in, in the shower, at an early breakfast with his family. Has he seen the email? Is he upset?

Mac rolls over and looks at Cadmium, still fast asleep. It’s okay, it was only step one, it was only their first application. They might get a thousand rejections before they get an acceptance. It was okay. It was okay, it was  _ okay.  _

Jasper texts him moments later.  _ Just woke up, is everything okay?  _

_ Check your email.  _

He sees Jasper typing for over 10 minutes before settling on,  _ its gonna be okay. Do you want me to call you? Do you want me to come home early?  _

Just then there’s a knock at his door, and he takes a deep breath.  _ Its okay, we’re taking Riley out today, I think she’s feeling better after ‘girls night’ just don’t be late tomorrow okay? I miss kissing your stupid face _

_ My plan lands around 4.30, you can kiss me aaaalll you want then promise  _ Jasper follows this up with a bunch of heart emojis, and Mac smiles. He can always wash the sheets tomorrow, that way Cadmium can cuddle him later that night. The second round of knocking wakes up cadmium, but she doesn’t move as he goes to the door.

He opens the bedroom door and sees Riley, eyes welling with tears. “Did I wake you?”

“No, what’s up?” he asks, ready to pull her into a hug as she shows him her phone, a rather nasty text from Billy on the screen. He sighs, going back to her home screen and pocketing her phone, pulling her close to him in a tight hug.

“He’s not worth your time, okay? You’re going to be okay… everything is going to be okay.”

**\- Sheriff County, Ohio -**

Jasper settles into the chair of the small cafe with Julius and Mel, trying not to let his mood get downcast by the very vague rejection email. The thought weighed heavy on his mind, but him and Mac agreed they wouldn’t tell anybody until they were certain. Until they were sure that it was going to work out for them. He wasn’t going to be the one to break that promise, especially when he knows Mac is home, alone, being strong for Riley. 

He looks up, watching Julius gently run his fingertips along Mels arm, the two sharing a menu, their sunglasses block the sun. Mel leans her head against Julius. 

“I think I want the french vanilla,” she finally says. 

Jasper laughs, looking up from his own menu. “French Vanilla here is really good,” he agrees. “I would know, I helped make it until it was perfectly brewed.”

“Right, you and Sierra worked on this place together. I wonder if she’s here. Do you think she’s here?”

“Probably not, I heard she has a baby now,” Julius says. They’ve since moved to a small house nearby to be near Kaori, who would isolate herself if left to her own devices. 

Jasper nods, sick at the mention of a baby, his stomach turning over a bit. “So… I was thinking of getting that Kona roast. It’s absolutely amazing, if I remember correctly.”

Mel nods, leaning forward, taking his hands, just holding them. It was early, and Mel never did well in the morning, Julius was always quiet. “You’re my baby,” She says, leaning her cheek on his hand. 

“Kaori said you’re not getting along with Riley or something.”

Jasper shrugs, adjusting his sunglasses. “I’m trying my best… she’s just going through some things, and I don’t… I don’t really know how else to help than keep a distance. I think that’s what she needs right now.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“I tried, but it’s not me she needs to talk to… it’s not me that she needs right now at all. And that’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Right…”

“I just…” he flounders with his words, and he shrugs. “Besides, it’s good to be home. I missed this place. I remember, all the long nights I spent with Sierra, sitting on the counters, with their new finish, and we’d whisk every menu item ten times before deciding if it was worthy enough or not. If it was consistent enough or not. If it was good enough.”

“I remember all the afternoons you dragged me to the library to read mystery novels and then drag me to Lenny’s Ice Cream to rattle on about what you read,” Julius says. “And you’d get so excited about it.”

“Or, remember the first time he sat down and redid the library floorplan, and how he basically knocked down the Mayors door trying to get it approved.”

Jasper smiles. “I remember Mel learning how to garden when we did the park gardens, and she saw a worm and screamed.”

“A woman of her caliber has seen way worse, and yet,” Julius teases his wife, and she makes a face, smushing his between her fingers.

“You have no room to speak. When you saw Kaori eat a live octopus you damn well near cried.”

“Because it was  _ moving.  _ That is a good reason to be scared.”

“Worms move too.”

“Worms can’t suction cup to the inside of your throat and suffocate you.”

“Well-” she puts up her finger and then looks down a moment, Jasper can see the confusion even if she’s wearing thick sunglasses.

Jasper laughs. “I think you have her beat,” he says. “Anyways, I saw this ad for a concert in one of the breweries a few miles out, and I was thinking we could go, get some drinks, watch that small band perform.”

“I was just thinking how fun a concert would be, but Jules says we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Well why don’t we ditch Jules and go.”

“You’re going to leave me? That’s just cold.”

Mel laughs, her nails turning his face away, making him laugh. “You can take him hiking tomorrow. He found a new trail that he’s been dying to revisit.”

“There’s all these fields with flowers and greenery, you’d love it. Why don’t we go tomorrow after you wake up tomorrow?”

“I’ll bring my camera, I can take pictures of you for the hiking scrapbook.”

“Did you bring it? I have this pink tape that’s like… shiny? You’d totally love it.”

“It’s totally mine,” Mel interjects. “But he really loves using it.”

“It unsettles people when I interrogate them and then pull out notes with pink tape keeping things together.”

“He’s the scrapbook king, what did you exact Melly?”

“I don’t know, but not for metallic tape to excite him that much.”

“I really love the metallic tape,” Julius says. “Anyways, tomorrow is hiking and scrapbooking day.”

“Mamma Mia car sing along may or may not be included in the itinerary.”

Mel laughs. “I have videos of you singing lay all your love on me in the car that one time we went hiking together, and you were in the seat next to Julius-”

“And he had control of the AUX?”

“Yes! You remember that?”

Jasper laughs. “Oh my god, Mac has a video of me drunk after work one day and we’re in the living room watching Mama Mia and I was using the whiskey bottle as a mic. And then I was like, really upset about something at some point and was singing lay all your love really sadly on the floor. He also has a video of that.”

“I remember that! He posted it on your snapchat and captioned it ‘Depression Session’ or something like that.”

“He  _ did _ ? I want a new husband, that is such betrayal.”

The waitress finally comes around outside, wiping her hands on her apron and pulling out her notepad. “Sorry, we’re so busy today. What can I get you guys?”

They all are briefly aware they haven’t looked at the menu properly, and proceed to order coffees and the first thing they can remember liking for breakfast, which results in Julius getting the steak tips and eggs, Mel asking for pancakes, getting a list of the type of pancakes they have, settling on the first one she thinks sounds good- ironically enough, they were strawberry cheesecake pancakes- and Jasper asks for an eggwhite omelette with a side of homefries and buttermilk pancakes.

“It’s amazing that you never gain a pound.”

“Are you kidding? I can only lift 650 now, that’s 6 pounds less than before I left ops. So that means 1 of 2 things: I am losing muscle mass due to a different work out routine but maintaining my overall weight, or I’m losing muscle mass and it’s converting into fat.”

“And god forbid you had a little fat,” Mel teases and he rolls his eyes, almost childishly, Julius laughs. 

“Don’t say it like that, he might die if he reaches a very specific fat threshold. You’d be surprised how small the number is,” he informs and Mel snorts. 

“You can handle a little weight gain. Besides, makes you comfy for the dog.”

“Tell that to Mac, he’s the one who cuddles the dog usually.”

“I tried, he doesn’t fatten up no matter what you put in him. It’s like he burns it off in real time.” 

“It’s true. I mean, he doesn’t eat crap like he used to-”

“As if you’d let him-”

“Right, but like he still has a considerable amount of coffee and cakes, or I know his students bring him things to get a pass on being late. Cookies or bagels or whatever. He’s still stick thin and hard muscle. It’s like his body is built to be resistant to any sort of weight gain. The only place where he like… has a little fat is under his arms, and it’s literally not even fat, the muscle is just toned, not totally hardened from lifting.”

Mel pokes at Julius, as if trying to show that he’s totally the same. Julius laughs. “I’m not that bad.”

“If you say so.”

Jasper smiles, leaning back in his chair and looking up as he hears his name. “My man! Now, last I heard is you married a hotshot from LA? That true?”

“Yeah, big LA think tanker, has all these brains,” he says, standing up to greet the man approaching him. Chet Feldsman, the local lawyer, makes all sorts of money from their small county, to the big cities in Ohio. “What’s up with you man? I thought you moved.”

“Man, I was just in town visiting, word came in Friday from one of my guys down here that you were in town. Thought I owed you a visit. Last we talked was… almost two years ago now?”

“Yeah, it’s been that long huh? How’s Cincinnati?” 

“There’s good business but nothing quite like Demarest county… or it’s  _ Sheriff  _ county now, isn’t it?” 

Jasper laughs. “Yeah it is. Did you see the library after they completed it? It finished right before we left for the wedding. It was the best gift ever, to see it done, and everything inside was so nice, and all those books on the nice new shelves… It was a good feeling.”

“Yeah, and Sierra’s got this place because of you. Don got all that new farm equipment, you fixed the old stone bridge, got the school better resources, turned that rusty old park into a big garden and playground attraction. We all damn well thought you were going to run for mayor. In fact, elections came up and I was ready to see your posters all over the walls. Then I got here and heard you left to New York City.”

“You knew about Mac. Besides, I’m not into those kind of politics.”

“Sure, but I heard the whole wedding thing was fast.”

“About 6 or 7 months. We had a wedding planner, and we held it in Texas.”

“Texas?”

“Yeah, Jack, you remember Jack don’t you?”

“Colorful fellow? Talks like he’s rounding up cows to bring home before going to the next rodeo?”

“Yeah, that’s Jack alright. Well, he’s got a ranch in Texas-”

“Surprise surprise.”

“Right? It’s a family ranch, tradition that the weddings in the family are held down there and well… Mac is like a son to him, so we had the wedding down on the Dalton ranch. You see any pictures?”

“No, but I know Sierra and Misty went. Don wanted to go but he had a family thing?”

“Something like that.” Jasper pulls up the pictures he saved in an album on his phone from their wedding. Shows Chet the photo’s, Chet cooing at them. “It was a whole lot of fun. I wish you’d been there. But you were off the radar at that time.”

“Yeah, some stuff came up… but you know, I’m better now. New person, do yoga sometimes, drink kale shakes. You know, the whole shebang.”

Jasper laughs. “Yeah? Well, you should stop by the city sometimes, I have a bakery now, Petit Triumph, in the upper east side and it’s a charming little place if you ask me.”

“Any place you go to ends up being charming. You make new york city into a big garden too?”

Jasper laughs, ducking his head a moment, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of attention. “Not yet, but, I have won them over with my chocolates. You know, Ohio isn’t the end of the world. You could expand your clientele.” 

“I could, but that’s a big risk.”

“Risk worth taking, don’t you think?”

“Maybe… I guess I’ll find out when I come to New York City, since I owe you a trip now.”

Jasper smiles, nodding. “Well, if you’re okay with it, I’d love to stop by later tonight. Kaori is having friends over later, so I’d just be in the way anyways.”

“Sure, same place I’ve always lived, door will be wide open whenever you get there.”

Jasper nods, smiling. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you tonight.”

“And hey, speaking of husband, are you going to bring him?”

“He uh, he couldn’t make it this time around.”

“Trouble in paradise?” 

“Not even a little. He has family visiting.”

“Ah, so I have to wait until New York to meet him.”

“You’ve never met him?”

“Maybe once in passing, at the coffee shop or something like that. But, I doubt I’ve imprinted myself in his memory.”

“How do you know? He might be unable to stop thinking about the mystery man he met in the coffee shop, totally willing to leave me for him.”

Chet scoffs. “Yeah, okay Carolina. I’ll leave you guys to dinner, Julius, Mel, good to see you. I’ll see you later.”

“Definitely.”

**\- The NYC Streets -**

Mac and Riley walk side by side, Riley seeing the petit triumph coming up on their walk, funny enough,  _ Lay all Your Love  _ was playing somewhere in the background, Mac humming along to the ABBA song with familiarity as it blasted through a car window. 

Jack was talking a mile a minute about something, Macs mind clearly gone away, no longer paying attention. She nudges him back to reality, watching as he tunes back into the conversation. Riley doesn’t know what was on his mind, what plagued him inside. He’s been a bit quiet all day, but he stirs back to life after her nudge, his focus on trying to catch up to Jacks conversation and Riley meets his frantic eyes, a grin breaking out on her face as he mouths for what he missed.

“Should’ve been paying attention,” she whispers.

“I was singing Mamma Mia, okay that’s just like worth all my attention,” he whispers back. 

“He’s talking about the Gwen Stefani tour, and how these ‘last tour’ hoaxes are the worst or something?”

“Okay, so it’s a rant I’ve heard before,” he says, relieved. The stress washes from his shoulders as Jack stops to question what on Gods Green Earth they could be whispering about.

“Well, I was just saying how those tours are totally a product of your time, because a lot of bands now once broken up don’t do that sort of thing.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Man? That has literally nothing to do with Steve Rodgers being misunderstood.”

“Wha-”

Riley bursts out laughing, and Mac looks at her in disbelief. “I cannot believe you,” he says, the three stopping at the crosswalk just before the triumph, a couple customers outside looking at the sign on the door in dismay. It’s not hard to miss the longing in his eyes. 

Jack rolls his eyes, but accepts it. “So what distracted you exactly from my really great conversation?”

“Mamma Mia was playing from someones car. You can still here it.”

They all stop to listen, the countdown to cross popping up. 

“Isn’t this that song Jasper was singing drunk and sad once.”

“He loves this song. Mamma Mia is like his favorite,” Mac informs Riley. “He has a very good time singing every song at the top of his lungs and there was once a time where he had a bad day and decided it was time to get drunk. I have several videos of him getting progressively more drunk while singing every song. He fell asleep around Voulez Vous which is like, his favorite song, but it was really funny while it lasted.”

Riley laughs. “That is not something I would say I can see him doing, let alone something I can see him liking.”

“Then you don’t know him at all. You don’t have to try knowing him to figure out he loves a chick flick,” Jack says mindlessly, and Mac shoots him a look that she doesn’t miss. As if saying that Jack shouldn’t say things like that, as if he knows it’ll make Riley feel bad.

“It’s okay,” She says. “He’s probably right, and I probably haven’t really tried knowing him.”

“That’s not true. Jasper just has been so busy since the end of the summer, he’s hardly had time to watch a movie anyways. So you’d never know. And we never had movie nights when he was around while we were dating, so it’s not your fault.” 

“You don’t have to make me feel better about something I’m not upset over. I have no reason to be upset over not knowing him, I don’t have to know him.”

That was the wrong thing to say, she sees it the minute she says it, she regrets saying it the second she sees Macs face fall. 

“Right. Anyways, we’re almost there, we just have to cross six more blocks and make a left. It’s sort of hard to miss, and there’s signs pointing there. So, even if you get lost, you can’t really get lost.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“Forget it, Riley. I just didn’t want you to feel bad about what Jack said.”

Jack winces, Mac walking a little faster, taking lead and he rubs Rileys shoulder, keeping her just a step in front of him so she doesn’t get lost. “He’s not feeling too hot today,” Jack assures softly. “Don’t… take it to heart or anything.”

“He’s mad at me.” 

“He’ll get over it. Once we get to the Museum, he’ll probably forget anything happened at all.” 

She nods, and Jack launches back into something new, going on and on about something, and Riley gives all that she can to the conversation, even as a lump solidifies in her throat. Mac stays a few steps ahead, glancing back occasionally to make sure the two were following.

They get to the museum, Jack observing a pamphlet vaguely as Riley stands in silence next to Mac. Mac is checking a banking app, going through the benefits on his premium cards, before just pulling out his wallet, putting his phone away. 

“You know, I didn’t mean that I didn’t  _ want  _ to know him.”

“What are you talking about Riley?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I told you to forget it. We’re not wasting an afternoon arguing over whether or not you like Jessie. We’re supposed to be having fun, remember?”

She nods. “Yeah, we are, we’re having fun.”

“Okay, so forget it.”

“We can’t have fun if you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad.”

“You look mad.” She’s not really sure if he’s mad, she’s never seen him mad, but he has a look that is pretty closely associated with his ‘annoyed at Jack on an op’ face, maybe a little more stern and mean. 

“I’m not mad Riley. Why don’t you go see where Jack went? We’re next up, and I really don’t want to play Where’s Jack right now.”

She nods, spotting Jack pretty easily and going over. “He’s mad,” she says.

“He’s going to be fine.”

She nods. 

“Come on, lets go over there.”

“I’m just gonna go to the bathroom before we go into the museum.”

Jack nods, heading over to Mac. He’s ordering their tickets, handing over one of his cards, Jack beside him now.

“Where’s Riley?” Mac asks.

“She went to the bathroom.”

Mac smiles at the lady at the desk and accepts the tickets, moving Jack away from the counter after thanking her. “You know, she’s really upset you’re mad at her.”

“I’m not-”

“You are.”

Mac takes a deep breath, and tries to put everything he’s holding inside to the back of his brain, not letting it overtake him. It was okay, anyways. People get rejected all the time, it wasn’t a big deal. “I’m just, thinking about a lot. I’m not mad at her.”

“So… just say something to ease her up a little. She was so happy that you guys spent all that time together last night.” 

Mac nods, sighing. “Yeah, I uh… I’ll fix it.”

“Good, I don’t want to have to kick your ass today.”

Mac nods, Jack narrowing his eyes. 

“Hey you-”

“Are we ready to go?” Riley asks, clutching her bag and Mac nods, letting her pick the ticket she wants, three different designs on the tickets.

“Yeah, ready to go. There’s uh… There’s the film and technology art upstairs on the third floor. We should start there. I think you’d like it most.”

Rileys eyes light up just a little at the sudden acceptance Mac shows her. She nods, and the three make their way to the third floor of the MoMA, where they start walking through the exhibits, Mac taking pictures of Riley for her instagram and Snapchat. He pretends as if nothing ever happened, just lets it go. 

And at least it makes Riley happy, even if he knows that she’ll still insist on apologizing when they’re alone at home later. 

Riley veers off, Jack and Mac ending up at the same set of pictures of gay couples by an artist with a very Eastern European name. “Can you maybe take Riley out a few hours tomorrow evening? Just until I pick up Jess and drop his bags off and stuff.” 

“Yeah,” Jack says. “You okay, man?”

“Fine. Just, a lot going on at school. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

Jack nods, taking his word for it. Mac taking a picture of the photographs for Jasper, they were old, from the 40s or 50s, Mac thinks Jasper would appreciate the newly added display. “Wasn’t being Gay illegal back then?”

“That didn’t mean Gay people didn’t exist, Jack.”

He blinks and then nods, briefly puzzled. “Well yeah.. But couldn’t this get the men in the pictures like… in trouble?”

Mac shrugs. “It was a whole different world back then, Jack. But you could ask the artist if you want.”

“Maybe I just will.”

Mac rolls his eyes fondly, the two turning and walking off, Mac seeing a text pop from Jasper before he puts his phone away again.  _ Going to my old friend Chets tonight, idk if you remember him? Anyways, you’d like him. Miss you! Hope your ‘girls weekend’ is going good. Love you all the time, see u tomorrow _

Mac briefly wonders who Chet is, when he met him for Jasper to ask if he remembered him. He squints, trying to conjure up a face and amounting to nothing.  _ Not even a little but tell him he was my lover in a former life. We’re at the MoMA, i’ll send pictures later. Drink some wine for me love you more than i love the classical dynamics of particles textbook babe.  _

Riley loops back around to them, Mac putting his phone away. “Hungry? There’s a great place around here that I know, has these awesome burgers.”

“We have a few more hours until they close, right? Can we stay?”

“Of course. You lead the way, Riles.”

**\- Later that Night In Sheriff County, Ohio-**

Chet pours him a glass of wine, Jasper looking around the familiar apartment. “You ever hear from Carter again?” he asks.

“Uh… no, even Mel’s lost all touch with him.”

“Oh.. That’s a shame. He… do something?”

“What?”

“Well, he just left in a hurry, never said goodbye. One day he lived next door, next day he was cleared out. Figured he was running from something. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was… He wasn’t… stable all the time.”

“No… he wasn’t. But, I don’t really know. What about you? You were off the grid just over a year ago. Were you running from something?”

“My emotions… My dad died, and you know me and him were never…” Chet takes a deep breath, gestures vaguely. “It never was good between us. And, I don’t know, I felt all this guilt. Standing there, pretending like the loss was… impacting me in ways it wasn’t. All I felt was guilt, was longing that I got to say goodbye, or got to know him. But, all I remember is fighting with him. Leaving home…”

Jasper nods, guilt welling into his chest. “I felt the same for a long time after running away from home… I never really said goodbye. But I’d just think about my dad… if he felt bad, if he missed me. But… then I think about how he just threw all my moms stuff in a box and gave it away. He probably did the same with me. Put my memory in a box and then left it behind.”

Chet nods. “I don’t get how people can do that.”

“Where’d you go?”

“I… pulled an Andy from the office.”

“Jamaica?”

“No, just got on a boat, and sailed to all these countries. It was me and my old best friend, Dean. We hadn’t spoken since I left. They all call me Big City, because I’m a big city lawyer, but I wouldn’t say any city in Ohio is big. I have very few chicago clients.”

Jasper nods. 

“Why’d you leave Ohio?”

Jasper takes a deep breath. “It was just time…”

Chet nods. “Thought you’d stay here forever, be a local politician. If we could ever call you that. You’d be… the Taylor of the town but less annoying.”

Jasper laughs. “I don’t know… we went to New York together a lot, and it always just felt like we belonged there together. Besides, Mac would lose his mind if he had to be tamed to a small town with twelve hundred people or less, where the roads are endless, and all your neighbors know you to the point it’s maybe a little intrusive. He’s always been part of the LA Jive, you know? Straight shooter, a bit dreamy, smiles at the neighbors, but thats’ where it ends.”

“So he’s from richy rich side of LA.”

“Yeah, the Hollywood Hills, unlike Julius who’s from the lower end.”

“How’s Jules feel about that?”

“He never liked going to Macs house much.”

Chet nods. “He’s good to look at.”

“Yeah he is,” Jasper says, smiling. “Ain’t nobody quite like my baby. Nor as beautiful too.” 

Chet laughs. “Sure.”

“What about you, lone wolf? Find anyone lately?”

“I thought about getting a dog.”

“Oh come on, you’re a likable guy, got all these great qualities. Don’t shut everyone out.”

Chet laughs. “Okay, that’s enough of that. I made a primavera with some fried chicken. I know it’s not your kinda class but, you don’t get chicken like mine every day of the week.”

“I believe you. Sounds great, actually.” 

“So… I saw Stephen. Your ex.”

“How could I forget? He’s the reason I ended up with Mac. Where did you see him?”

“He’s still working in the bank. Making all that big bank money, he seems like he’s moved up in corporate. Was wearing this fancy, shiny suit. How is he the reason you ended up with Mac?”

“I dumped him for cheating, and Mac found me crying, and I told him I was just really upset that I would have to cancel the reservation. So he took Stephens place… we had a lot of fun together. It was just like… he was my best friend, right away.”

Chet nods, smiling. They fall into silence for a moment, Jasper seeming contemplative. 

“Maybe we should egg the bank.”

This makes Chet laugh out loud. The two smiling brightly at each other. 

“You know, I missed your company.”

“So I guess we should both come home more often.”

“Or I should come to the New York with a wedding gift, for you and your husband.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

**\- Monday, Hudson Yards,Manhattan, New York City -**

Mac puts on the blue and red plaid shirt that he knew Jasper liked on him, rolling up the sleeves to hug his biceps. He undoes the first few buttons, rustles his hair a bit. Just enough to grab his husbands attention to be rewarding, not enough to declare he was having sex later and he knew it. 

He grabs the keys, going downstairs. He thinks over his mental checklist: laundry was done, sheets were washed, bed was made, a lasagna was ready in the fridge, he vacuumed last night, washed the floors this morning, and had set fresh flowers in the vases. He checks on Cadmium in her little play room, his phone ringing as he gives her a kiss goodbye. 

“Hello, this is Angus Macgyver.”

“Well I was hoping my own son would have my number saved, but I guess not,” James says on the other end of the phone. Mac choking a bit.

“Uhh sorry, I just was getting ready to go to the airport. I didn’t really look before checking. What’s up?”

“Well, you’ve been really good about coming to all my Chemo sessions, and… well if you’re busy right now I’ll call you later. Are you traveling somewhere?”

“No, I’m just picking up Jess, he flew to Ohio for the weekend.”

“Any reason?”

“He missed his family, and he wanted to see them. But since Riley is here, I stayed behind.”

“I see.”

“Anyways, what about your chemo sessions?”

“I have one in about two weeks, the last weekend of september.”

“I can make it. It’s not a problem.”

“It’s not too soon?”

“As long as I can make my lab on Monday, it’s not a problem.”

“Great, so I’ll see you then?”

“Absolutely,” Mac says, turning to see Riley coming downstairs, holding Whiskey who looks moderately attacked. He wraps up the conversation, smiling at Riley.

“You’re going out with Jack?”

“Yeah, we’re going to spend the afternoon together while you’re struggling through traffic.”

Mac smiles, kissing her head. “Uh, so you might have to be here alone in a couple weekends.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to Berlin to do Chemo with my dad, and well, sometimes Jasper comes along, sometimes he doesn’t.”

She nods. “So you and you’re dad are…”

“A little better. I don’t know, he’s… he’s my dad, and a part of me feels like I’ll regret it, if I don’t make it up to him or whatever. I owe him this much, and spending time with him isn’t… the worst ever. You know?”

“Yeah, I know. As long as you’re happy.”

“I am happy. Now I gotta dash. You know where everything is in the house, spare key is in the lockbox behind the mail counter, the code is 3-4-6-8 if you need it. Don’t get into trouble. And call if you need anything.”

“Sure thing,” She promises, smiling softly and he smiles back. He waves her off and goes to the car afterwards. Waits through traffic for 3 hours, gets to JFK and parks in one of the free lots before going to find Jaspers terminal. All the while his ears still ringing with honking horns, and the deep yawn of the ambulances, pushing their ways through traffic. 

He waits in the terminal, Jasper finally texting him 30 minutes later,  _ finally landed! Should be out shortly???  _

The moment couldn’t come soon enough, Mac bouncing his leg as he waits. He decides to distract himself, going to grab coffees. He gets an email from one of his colleagues, asking why he’d cancelled classes for the day. He doesn’t respond, grabbing two coffees, because he knows Jasper hates sleeping on planes and surely will end up tired. But Jasper has a great habit of only sleeping when he needs to sleep (at night) so he doesn’t ruin his sleep schedule. 

Finally Jasper comes through the terminal, his bags in hand and Mac can’t help that his legs rush him over. Walking as fast as he can. “Jess!”

Jasper spots him, perking up visibly. He takes the coffee and holds it, Mac grabbing one of his 2 bags. Jasper leans forward and kisses him, Mac smiling as they part, hugging him tight. 

“How was your trip?”

“A lot of fun. Hate to say it, but I almost didn’t miss you this morning.”

Mac laughs.  _ “Really? _ ”

“Yeah, Julius and I went up on this hike all morning and were scrapbooking. He got me in through the check-in and gates faster than any normal person should get through. It was nice. And I saw Chet. Sierra was at the cafe last night so we stopped by, Mel and I went to a late night bar stint, so we went before hand.”

“You really partied like you were 21 huh?”

“Just a little. Safe to say I am not hungover though, so that’s always a plus.”

Mac smiles, kissing Jaspers temple. Jasper smiles, pulling away and looking Mac over. “So I’m sick of being in airports, if you’re ready to go.”

“Mmm I don’t know, it just seems like such a prime place to hang out,” Mac teases. Jasper nudges him aside playfully. Mac kisses him once more, leading the way to the car. They put Jaspers bags away, and settle in, Mac insisting he can drive back. 

“You hate driving in the city.”

“It’s okay, if I can drive through LA traffic, I won’t die in New York. Besides, I got here, didn’t I?”

“You did, but how much stress did you encounter getting here?”

“A lot, but it doesn’t matter, because I still got here with little incident on my behalf.”

“Did you make dinner?”

“That lasagna you like and said you wanted the other night. With all the vegetables?”

“Did you put the right vegetables in?”

“Yes. I used the right zucchini and golden squash. Ground turkey instead of beef, and the homemade tomato sauce we froze, and i defrosted it so it’s sauce not a tomato popsicle before using it.”

“Wow, now to see if you actually used zucchini or mistook a cucumber for a zucchini.”

Mac smiles, lacing their hands and kissing his fingers. “I missed you,” he says softly, a weight of unspoken words between them. 

“Yeah, I missed you too babe. Now come on, let's get moving before we’re stuck in traffic forever.”

It’s not seconds after Jasper drops his bags at the door that Mac leans forward and yanks him into a kiss. His arms wrapping around Jasper, who stumbles forward, sending Mac back a few steps and pulling him along the whole way. He gives deep, aching kisses. Had missed him so much more than anything in the whole world. 

Mac wraps his arms around him tighter, leans forward and kisses him deeper. Jasper humming softly, hands shifting along his body anxiously, finally settling on his hips with certainty, pulling Mac into his hold firmly. He presses deep kisses to his husband, only with the hope of keeping him there for as long as he can. It was nearly 8, and nothing else seemed to matter. Mac clinging to his husband, swaying back, falling into a deeper kiss with him. 

They fall against the nearest wall, Macs back pressed there, Jasper lifting his legs so they’re secured around his waist. He traces Macs thighs, gentle, reassuring, firm. They insist that he’s waiting right there for him, and Mac is certain of its truth, that Jasper is, and always will be, waiting right there for him. 

Jasper moans soft as they part, Mac running a hand down the front of his shirt, Jasper smiling, leaning their foreheads together, letting one hand knot in his hair, running his fingers through it. Mac leans forward, looking for another kiss, Jasper obliging without hesitation. He keeps Mac up, kissing him thoroughly. The two lost together in each others touch, hands continuing to wander, getting just a bit more frisky: Mac undoing one of Jaspers buttons, Jaspers hands looking to undo his belt. 

They process the door being unlocked a little too late, just pulling away as it opens, Riley stepping in and turning to find them, Mac and Jasper barely untangled.

“Uh… do you guys need me to leave?” She asks, Mac watching her guard go back up. He’d spent all weekend making her know she belonged here, in his life, and now he was watching her shut him out again.

“No, no we just uh… I have to set up dinner, and Jasper was going to take a shower.”

“And that involved the wall?”

“It was a minor detour?”

Jasper pulls fully away from Mac, his ears a burning red. “I was just going to take my bag upstairs, I’ll leave you two alone.”

“I can go, Jacks not busy,” Riley says, and Mac shakes his head. 

“You don’t have to go. Did you guys eat dinner? The lasagna should be ready in 30 minutes.”

Riley is about to protest but Jasper is already grabbing his bags to go upstairs, and Mac has turned to find the kitchen, and she’s pretty sure anything she says isn’t going to take away any awkwardness that was just jammed between them. She just nods, and like a helpless puppy, follows Mac into the kitchen. 

(Speaking of helpless puppies, she could hear Cadmium running down the stairs and greeting Jasper, she can hear the thud of his bags, his laughter, and his coos, and can just imagine the ample kisses she gives, the way she does when Mac gets home from work. She hears him say something about letting Cadmium help him unpack, and then his voice disappears up the stairs, and it’s almost like he wasn’t there again. Part of her wants to be relieved, because there was something very reassuring about Jaspers presence in the household, a much larger part of her feels like she just lost Mac again.)

“I’m going to go get Jack,” she says after a minute of pure silence between them, Mac trying to fix the timer just right, and he hardly glances away from the task, which should not be as impossible as it was and nods. 

“Tell him Dinner is nearly set.”

She nods, managing to maneuver out of the apartment and into Jacks, where he’s sitting there on the couch, squinting at his phone, glasses at the bridge of his nose as he reads something. 

“Jack,” she says, grabbing his attention, causing him to look up.

“Is he home?” he asks perking up and Riley nods, pressing on a smile. 

“Definitely home.”

“What’s with that look?”

“What look?”

“You’re makin a real face, Riley. Come on, what’s up?”

“Nothing, they were just… making out I guess, and I feel like I’m intruding.”

“Oh please, they kiss all the time.”

“Not around me, they don’t.”

“Because they both know you don’t like Jasper.”

“That’s not true, i think he’s perfectly fine.”

“The more you keep lying about it, the worse it’s going to get. And if you really want to stay in his life, you better sober up real fast, Riles, because that man is not leaving Macs life. He’s staying for good, Jasper Sheriff ain’t goin no where. So you have to make a choice here, whether you want to stay in Macs life, and accept that Jasper is a part of that now, or you leave.”

“It’s not that simple,” She tries to reason. “He’s a separate person from him, so it shouldn’t have to be me or him.”

“See, that’s where you’re only half right. He is a separate person, but Mac made a commitment to someone he really loves. There’s things that happen between them that we ain’t never gonna know about. There’s things Mac goes through or thinks that only that man is ever going to know. Mac loves him more than anything in the whole world, and I know that for a fact. I know it. I see it everyday with my own two eyes, and I watch Jasper give it back everyday. And so what, they keep secrets? So they kiss sometimes or miss each other. That’s what marriage is like, not that I’d know personally, but… I’ve been close before. Sure… been real close before, with your mom, with other women. It’s just like that.”

“What are you saying right now Jack.”

“That his life is all tangled up with Jaspers. They might be separate people, doin their own thing, but they’re still living it all together. They know everything about the other. They spend weekends and nights off, and go on vacations together. They rely on each other, they’re happy together. And that’s who Mac is going to turn to first. When the world goes down, that’s who he’s going to turn to because there’s nobody else in this world that he loves more. No person that exists that means more to him. You need to accept that, you need to accept that Jasper is a big enough part of his life that you need to choose Jasper too to chose Mac.”

She nods. “Okay, I uh… don’t know why I’m getting this life lesson, but you are right-”

“Don’t get all upset on me, Riles. Listen, I can see it in your eyes. You don’t want him here, don’t want him to be apart of whatever it is you’re going through, or whatever it is you want from Mac. But he is here, and he’s not leaving. And you can’t expect him to leave his own house every weekend-”

“I didn’t expect him to leave at all, Mac said he had a family thing.”

“He did, but that’s not every week,” Jack seems to back track.

“Was it?”

“It was. And I’m just saying, my point is, that you need to accept that Jasper is here to stay. That Mac ain’t goin back to Phoenix or California because this is his home now. This is his life. You have to accept that. I’m just saying it because I think you need to hear it.” 

She nods, taking in a deep breath, eyes shifting around the apartment. She really did not want to talk about this, not here and not know. But Jack moves on as soon as she decides on something to look at, and he gets up, as he hears Cadmium yipping next door. 

She walks back with Jack in tote, Jasper sitting in the kitchen, hair wet, fresh clothes on. Mac is leaning against the counter, admiring a bead bracelet that now adorned his arm. 

“I got you one too,” Jasper tells Riley, holding out a gauzy bag with a similar bracelet inside. She’s surprised by the gesture, that he’d gotten her anything. 

“Thank you,” she says and means it from the bottom of her heart. She almost wants to hand it back and say she didn’t deserve it, but he seems so hopeful she’ll take it, so she does, and she opens it, finding the weaved beads in the shape of stars. She smiles, holds her arm out. “Put it on,” she requests, Jasper smiling, clasping the bracelet tightly to her wrist. 

Jack smiles at them, catching the way Mac and Jasper glance at each other, silent assurance settled in the air between them. 

**\- Almost 2 years Ago, Los Angeles, Mac left to Ohio, but now he came Back -**

There were some things that just happened. Mac leaving after his dad was something they all figured just happened. That he just needed a little space. Bozer, with all his dear heart, trusted Jasper to care for his brother, he texted Jasper frequently, followed him on all his social media. Mac didn’t make many appearances these days, and as far as Riley could tell, it’s because Mac wasn’t doing too well. 

But he was here now, on the balcony, hugging his arms around his middle. Bozer remained near to Mac, he understood Mac in ways that she doesn’t ever think she could. Leanna kept a distance, there was an understanding that Mac didn’t need to be overwhelmed with attention, to the point that even Jack seemed to mind his business as he grilled dinner. 

“Is Jasper coming in?” Bozer asks. 

“He’s going to try,” Mac says. “We uh… we got engaged,” Mac announces, the three perking up, Bozer and Leanna laughing. Riley feels her heart sink into her stomach and swim in the nerves it causes. Bozer and Leanna laugh, Jack seems to already have known, smiling gently. Mac smiles too, showing off the ring on his right ring finger. It was a beautiful, simple ring, with a shiny sapphire in the center, shaped like a star. 

Leanna takes his hand admiring it, telling Riley to look at how nice it is, Bozer teasing how Jasper sets everyones standards too high. That he’s too perfect. Mac laughs, saying that Jaspers main fault was liking sleeping in too much. “He could sleep through a hurricane,” Mac attests, clearly joking around. He seemed more endeared than he did bothered by this ‘fault’ he’s picked to display as Jaspers. 

“So, what does you getting engaged have to do with him coming in?”

“Oh, his director, Dallas, he’s got Jess swimming in work. Poor babe called this morning, he’s hardly slept 3 hours in the past 2 days…” Macs words are in and out in Rileys ears, she’s always been good at getting along with him when he was over, she liked his personality enough, but all she could hear was ocean waves as Mac talks about how things have changed, since Jasper is leaving ops now too. 

“Are you moving?” she tunes back in to Leanna asking.

“Once we figure out where we want to work, or where we both can get work, but it’s leaning towards New York City.”

“New York City?” Bozer asks stunned. “Damn, I kind of hate it there.”

Mac laughs. “What? Why?” 

“Just… not good memories,” he shudders dramatically and Mac rolls his eyes. “But taht doesn’t mean I won’t come and visit all the time.”

Riley looks to Mac who smiles appreciatively. “I’d love that. You and Leanna should come whenever. I mean, that doesn’t mean I won’t come back. Just… I don’t know, with this whole thing with my dad, I don’t think I’ll come back often.”

Bozer and Leanna nod in understanding, Jack chipping in with a joke as he puts down the plate of burgers. Mac laughs, bright and happy. He seemed relaxed, if a little fragile, the consistent lines of stress that were often on his face were relaxed, and he seemed in a way, just a bit younger. 

“Oh! Jasper sent gifts for you guys, and so did his team,” Mac says. “I’ll have to dig them out later.”

“Is it a ring like yours?” Leanna asks, still admiring the ring on his hand, Mac laughing. “I’m guessing that’s a no.”

“Nooot really, but you’re all going to like your gifts,” he promises. They’re talking Riley losing track of the conversation. Something about gifts, something about the food, something about Matty, and the ops team, and Matty having to find another agent now. She hardly seems to notice when they address her. Mac seeming concerned. “Riles, you okay?”

**\- Present Day -**

“Rileeeeyyyy?”

“Hm?”

“I asked if you were okay, you got really quiet.”

“Oh, I’m fine, just…. I was thinking, I guess.”

Jasper laughs, humming as he gets a good whiff of the dinner Mac made. “You’ve gotten really good at this lasagna thing,” he says. “Smells really good babe.”

“Now to make sure he doesn’t burn it,” Riley teases and Jasper snorts. 

“That’s his emotional support talent, Riley. It’s how he gets through his day.”

Mac rolls his eyes, checking the timer he set up on the oven. “I used the timer, so I can’t burn it. It’s the exact time in the cookbook.”

“You used a cookbook?” Riley asks, amused.

“Specifically the one Jasper made of all his recipes.” Mac pulls it out from the top of the fridge, and shows her the binder with a printed cover labeled ‘MacSheriff Cook Book’ with a dish on the coverr. “This is just his like meal recipes, he has a giant binder for all the dessert recipes he has. The bakery hardly goes through one fourth of those, at least, so far it hasn’t.”

“The bakeries one year anniversary is coming up,” Jasper notes, Riley taking the cookbook to look through, finding recipes, with pictures that look absolutely delicious. 

“We took all those pictures,” Mac informs Riley proudly. She laughs, turning the page and Jasper is holding up arranging a dish in the picture, absolutely focused as he sets a steak down in the center of a sauce. 

“Artsy,” she says, showing Jasper the picture. 

He nods, eyes flicking from her to Mac, lingering on his husband a moment. The timer goes off, Mac turning to go grab the lasagna, he checks it over to make sure that it’s cooked, only two of four corners were a bit charred, but overall it was a very handsome lasagna. 

It was late in the evening, Mac and Riley curled up on his arm chair, Jasper cuddling Cadmium and Whiskey on the other couch. The two have kept a relative distance of each other since she walked in on them kissing. Macs fingertips mindlessly caress her arm, seeming sleepy. 

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” Jasper says, after a few minutes and Mac nods. 

“I’ll be there soon,” Mac agrees, and Riley glances between the two. Jasper disappears up the stairs, Mac finishing the episode with Riley than bidding her goodnight. 

He makes his way upstairs, shutting the door behind him. He leans against the door a moment, Jasper taking off his rings, one by one, and placing them in their correct places in his ringbox. As spontaneous as Jasper appeared, Mac knew he was a creature of rigid habits. The same way that Mac had to clean the bed every morning, Jasper had to make sure every ring was in it’s place, and that the box was shut the same way every night. 

Mac makes his way over, wrapping his arms around Jaspers middle, kissing his shoulder. He briefly glances up, meeting Macs eyes in the mirror, a small smile coming to play. He looks back down, checking to make sure every ring was in place, whether he’d worn it or not. 

“So… did you want to talk about the rejection letter?”

Mac hesitates, rubbing his hand up Jaspers body. He rests his cheek on Jaspers shoulder, thinking a moment. “I don’t really know what… I feel I guess. I mean, I know it’s okay, that it’s not our last chance, but I just… can’t help being disappointed.”

Jasper nods. “Yeah, me too. But we have more chances than that.”

“Yeah we do…”

Jasper turns around, leaving his ring box open, taking Mac into his arms, pulling him into a hug, resting his head against Macs shoulder, Mac wrapping his arms tight around him. “I just missed you,” he whispers.

“I missed you too, babe.”

Jasper looks up, Mac leaning down to kiss him, cupping his face. They sway a bit, Jasper standing up, their kiss getting deeper. Mac wraps his arms around Jasper, leaving one hand cupping the side of his face, caressing along his jaw, leaning into the kiss. The two cling, glued together. 

Mac pulls away, the two breathing hard, forehead to forehead. Jasper gets a bit of a coy smirk, stopping Mac before he can kiss him again. “We should sleep, I have to open the bakery normal time tomorrow.”

Mac pouts, keeping Jasper close, kissing along his stubble. “You don’t  _ have  _ to.”

“Oh but I do,” he coos, Mac untangling from him. He takes one of Jaspers sweatershirts, and crawls into bed with just the sweatshirt and briefs. Jasper locks up his ring box and goes to the center of the bed where they curl up together. 

The sun has barely risen, the alarm blaring. Mac groans, rolling over and instantly wrapping as tight as possible around Jaspers body. “Stay,” he mumbles.

Jasper is shifting awake, turning just enough to stop the alarm. Mac clings to him, Jasper kissing the top of his head. Mac holds him tight. “Stay,” he repeats.

“Can’t, the bread guy gets there at 6.15, and I still have to prepare the coffee and the danishes.”

Mac shakes his head, kissing Jasper. The two exchanging a few, Mac successfully keeping Jasper close longer with every kiss. He winds up straddling him, laying on top of him, arms wrapped under his body, as if hugging him. Jasper kisses him deep, hand running down his thigh. Mac grins as they part, Jaspers fingers kneading at his thighs. 

“Thought you had to go.”

“I’ve handled worse things than opening a little late,” Jasper whispers. “I want you closer… just a little longer.”

Mac nods, kissing him deeper. More longing, hands moving out from under Jasper, and he goes to take off the sweatshirt, but Jasper stops him. 

“Leave it, makes you look hotter.”

Mac laughs, leaning down to kiss at Jaspers neck, their movement slow, lazy, in no way desperate, but in all ways needy. Their kisses remain deep and impassioned, bodies rocking against each other with need. Everything goes like they had all the time in the world, like nothing could ever stop them from wanting each other, not within the hour as it dredged pass them.

Macs finally prepped, laying on top of Jasper, kissing Jasper, breath stopping as he pushes in. His fingers twitch along Jaspers jaw, lips parting in a soft gasp. They close into another kiss, moving so they’re sitting up together, Mac leaning against his chest. 

He starts to move, pulling up and sinking down in slow movements, their breaths soft, quiet. Mac leans forward and kisses him, moaning as he sinks down all the way. His hands flutter over Jaspers shoulders, rocking his hips down, then lifting off and sinking all the way down again, gasping. 

He moves his hands move over his own body, in brief, unsure sweeps, Jaspers eyes set on him, watching him as he moves on him. Watches as Mac angles his body just right, finds his spot almost every thrust, moaning into their kisses.

Every touch, every kiss was sacred between them, quiet, contained in their world, the sun slowly rising over them. 

Mac moans, hand knotting in his hair, hips rocking down a bit more wild as he feels everything a little more vividly, like the world was rushing forward to him in screaming color. Jasper groans, burying his face in Macs neck, rocking up to meet Mac, who’s moans get pitchier, breathier. Mac cums first, crying out against him, hips slowing down for only a moment, panting for just a moment.

Jasper hums, kissing Mac, deep and longing. Mac hardly has regained his senses, but he doesn’t care much, lifting his hips and sinking back down, in the same lethargic fashion as before. He does his best to resume their pace, the pleasure overwhelming, moaning uncontrollably as he gets Jasper off. 

“Oh Mac, babe,” he gasps, gripping his hip. A few more thrusts, and Jasper cums, gripping Mac, kissing him, hands slipping up under the sweatshirt. Mac moans, whimpering against him. Their bodies slow, melting into the bed. 

Jasper kisses him, holding Mac against him, nose leaning to his temple. Caresses him with love, with desire. “My bread guy is going to hate me,” he mumbles, his second alarm going off. It was usually the one he used to gauge that he should be at least started with setting up the pastries. 

Mac laughs. “Lets shower and I’ll come help you until I have to get to the school.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I just want to be with you right now. Besides, I just wasted all your time.”

“You didn’t waste any of my time… never waste my time.”

Mac smiles, kissing him affectionately. “Come on, lets rinse off. We have to get to the bakery.”

The two shower, Mac managing to get dressed in his outfit for school, have his bag together, and a meal prepped by the time Jasper gets downstairs. “We can make coffee at the bakery, come on,” Jasper says, trotting downstairs, watching Mac put Cad food. He leaves a note for Riley to walk Cadmium. 

“Yeah, lets go,” Mac agrees, kissing Cadmium goodbye. They both go down to the car, Mac stuffing his lunch bag into his bag as they sit in the car. Jasper parks the car just as he sees the bread truck at the light. They always came from the back of the building, the front of the building dipped under the street, it took a few stairs to get to the door. “The pastry dough is in the fridge?”

“Yeah, you can set up for me?”

“Absolutely, babe.”

“Ovens at 450,” Jasper says tossing Mac the keys. He locks up the Tesla after grabbing a pen, Mac going inside the bakery and starting to set up the pastry dough, just the way he’s seen Jasper do a million times. He mixes together peach jam with cream cheese and sets it aside. Jasper opens the door, going in with a few bread wracks. He makes sure he has enough of each, and thanks the man, offering him to wait a few minutes for coffee.

“Got a bad morning?” his bread man asks.

“Just a late start. I got home last night from the airport.”

“Oh yeah, how was that?”

“You know, same old. Coffee?”

“Would be appreciated.”

Jasper nods, and gets started on the coffee, grabbing ingredients afterwards, checking his watch. “Mac, babe, forget the pastry for a minute, start shredding potatoes for hashbrowns and making the large coffee pots for the front. I have to be open by 7, I’m going to start on chocolate muffins, we’ll give coffee on the house to every customer this morning. I should be fully set by 12, but until then, coffee on the house.”

“Got it.”

And that’s how the morning goes, rushed, the two moving around each other, getting as much done as possible. Mac eventually leaves, Jack stepping in. They were busy out of their minds, starting to charge people for coffee since it was all they could really sell once the muffins ran out. Jasper was putting pastry out as quick as possible. 

“Listen, I know Riley doesn’t like me much, but can you ask her to come in?” Jasper asks Jack, arms red from the constant heat of the oven, taking trays out and replacing them. “That way you can help me with the pipe work until Michelle gets here.”

Jack obliges immediately. And that’s how Riley has her first day of work at the Petite Triumph Bakery. 

\- Late that Afternoon -

Mac had finished his classes and appointments, texting Bozer as he clings to his bag, the subway swaying them. He keeps an eye on the electric sign with the stops, ready to get off.  _ Maybe I’ll come to LA soon, we can do Christmas there again.  _

_ Are you sure? I’ve never seen your house. _

_ We can do Thanksgiving here. You can watch Jasper struggle with a turkey and then resort to making a duck _

_ I thought he was a great chef _

_ He really hates turkey, and consequentially hates making them just as much, if not more.  _

The train stops, and Mac looks up and sees it’s his stop, getting off and pushing through the crowd that pushes through. He shoves his way up the stairs, making his way up and into the street. He starts walking down the street, still clinging to his bag, but not looking at his phone. He crosses the street and then the other way, making his way to the decorative french railing, grabbing it, finding a line up the steps. He loops around, going down into the bakery, getting a lot of dismayed looks, and confusion. 

The triumph was full, and he finds Riley working the ipad, looking only moderately stressed by the demand around her. Michelle takes everything with stride, not at all phased by the amount of people in the small bakery. She helps Riley when she needs it, pours coffee in cups, manages three lattes at once, balances three trays. Her reflexes are snappy, and she’s wherever Jasper needs her the second he calls her name. Mac makes his way to the office, dropping his stuff, rolling up his sleeves and making his way to the kitchen. 

Jasper had long lost his button up shirt, only his tank top remaining, his high waisted pants seeming to be a burden as he fills a tray of cupcakes, clearly sweating. 

“How can I help?” Mac asks, Jasper looking up. 

“How was work?”

“It was okay, now how can I help?”

“Uhh in 3 minutes, I’m going to need you to pull out the filled chocolate truffles from the freezer, and in the fridge, there’s a cake setting, I need you to bring it to the front. Help Michelle with the orders.”

“Riley’s here,” he notes.

“Yeah she is, she’s doing a really good job for someone who’s not only never done this, but also is doing this on my busiest day ever.”

Mac smiles, he goes to grab the cake, and a knife for Michelle to cut into pieces. It was one of those cakes that was absolutely stunner, too pretty to cut. 

He brings it to the front. Michelle hands him a cup. “Macchiato with almond milk.”

They switch, and he does what needs to be done. Riley looks back at him, offers a stressed smile. 

Mac smiles, making the macchiato and the other drinks that pop up on their order screen. He gets the orders to the people they need to go to, Jack coming back with dirty plates and stay-in cups, moving to the back to wash them. 

It only starts dwindle around 6.30, Jasper having cakes set for the rest of the week, Mac running a cold water towel along his arms, overheated from being in the ktichen. Riley lingers in the front, Michelle eating a cake next to her. Jack has resigned in the office, probably to rest. 

“Crazy what a few days off does, huh?” He whispers and Mac smiles. 

“Yeah, it does,” he says softly, patting Jaspers temple with the towel, Jaspers eyes shutting in relief. “Step outside, it’s like 55 degrees, the breeze is nice.”

Mac goes with him, just in case he passes out from heat stroke or something. Mac and him stand outside, Jasper cooling off. “So my dad called yesterday,” Mac informs. 

“Did he?”

“Yeah, he has a chemo session the last weekend of september. I need to book my ticket.”

Jasper nods. “We can book it at home tonight.”

Mac nods, hands consistnetly checking to see if Jasper was cooling off. “Don’t… die or anything, I’m going to get you some water.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Mac goes back inside, finds Michelle looking over takeout menus. “What do you want to eat?”

“You guys pick, dinner is on us-”

“I can-”

“No, Micho. We got it covered.”

“Oh, also, some of your students walked in. They’re hanging out at one of the tables.”

“I’ll be in soon, I think Jess is overheated.”

She nods, taking the credit card as Mac offers it. She walks back to the front, Mac going back outside with cold water. “So, how was your first day?” she asks Riley, glancing over to the group of students sitting at the big table in the far corner. 

“Does it get this crazy often?”

“No, I think it’s just because we’ve been closed for a few days.”

Riley nods. “How are your classes going?”

She shrugs. “I think they’re going pretty well. I like most of my professors this semester, so that’s really nice.”

Mac walks in, Jasper following him. Michelle holds up a takeout menu for a fried chicken place and Jasper nods. 

“Let me cook.” he writes down a list of things, Mac leaning against the counter, his students wrapped up in conversation. “Micho, take Riley and go get the stuff. Mac baby- Mac? Helloooo? Earth to space cadette.”

“Hm?” Mac looks up. “Sorry, those are my students and I was trying to disassociate enough to not have to go over there.”

Jasper laughs. “Okaayyy, goof ball. Did you charge them?”

“No, they’re all first time customers and they only got coffees.”

Jasper nods, grabbing his best cake, and hands Mac a bunch of plates. Mac leads him to the tables. “I know you’re not all studying for my test at my husbands bakery so you can ask me questions.”

“We had a prayer circle that you’d be here,” Collin says, shrugging. 

“We have a study session tomorrow night, you’re all brilliant students- yes even you, Lauren, you have nothing to worry about.”

Jasper puts slices of the cake in plates, handing it to each of his students. “Wait,” Collin says. “You’re  _ married _ ?”

“Yeah, Lauren has a blog about it,” Mac says. They look at her puzzled.

“They had some viral pictures, it was gay iconography.”

“This is the one who stops crying when you give her lollipops?” Jasper whispers to Mac and Mac nods. “Do you want a homemade lollipop,” Jasper asks her.

Lauren perks up. “You  _ made  _ a lollipop?”

“Several. Want one?”

“I have cake, I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll bring her some,” Mac promises. “This is my husband, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Macgyver-Sheriff,” Finn says. 

“Doctor Macgyver-Sheriff,” Jasper correct. “But usually I just go by Jasper.”

Mac snorts. “Okayy, are you guys understanding everything so far?”

They all nod, Lauren holding up her notebook to make sure she’s doing her work right. Mac nods. “Did you guys eat dinner?” Jasper asks. They all give some flacid response about snacking, and coffee was good. Jasper just calls Lauren and tells her to get enough to include the students. 

Mac smiles, a few customers filing in. Jasper lets Mac remain with his students, going to the counter to help the customers, asking if they’d ever been there before. 

Mac walks the students through it. Michelle and Riley eventually return, and the scent of butter, and fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes fills the air. Jack comes out of the office, claiming the till that wasn’t being used and starts counting the money for the night. 

Everything relaxes, and the night ends with Mac tutoring his students as they all eat dinner in various different places around the bakery. Jasper has bread setting to make for tomorrow. Michelle goes home after she gets paid, Jack taking Riley home. 

Riley gets home, unlocks the door, and she goes upstairs, looks at the shut bedroom doors. It’s a few hours later that she hears Mac and Jasper come home, Mac saying something about going back to LA to see Bozer sometime in the near future. It’s moments later that there’s a knock on her door, Riley opening it and finding Jasper waiting there. 

“Did I wake you?”

“No, I was just surfing the web I guess.”

Jasper nods. “I just uh… I wanted to thank you for all your hard work today. It means a lot to me, and if you wanted-”

“Don’t offer to pay me.”

“Okay, I won’t. But I really appreciate it. And if it means anything to you, it was nice having you around in the bakery.”

She nods, squinting a bit at him. “It was nice being there,” She says after deciding he seems genuine. 

Jasper nods too, smiling a bit. “Well you should stop by more often then.”

“Will do…”

“Well, I should go to bed. Goodnight, Riley.”

“Good night.” He crosses the hall to his room, and shuts the door behind him without so much as looking back. 

**\- The Last Weekend of September -**

Riley didn’t realize how much Mac ran his own household until he was leaving. His bags are at the door, Jasper grabbing the keys and waiting patiently. Cadmium was going with him, she always does, packed up in her carrier. Jasper listens as Mac makes sure Riley was going to be okay without him there. She notes that Jasper would still be there, and Mac, as if he forgot looks at his husband and pats his chest before nodding. 

“Of course. Don’t get into trouble, either of you. Now, lets go?”

“You’ve got everything? Shampoo, conditioner, passport?”

“Yes, I’ve got everything. Essentials and non…” he pauses, checking his bag to make sure that this statement was true. He finds that he has everything, that he was all in check and put together. And he kisses Riley on the head goodbye, Jack coming in and opening his arms for a hug. Mac would only be gone three days, but he did in fact, make their worlds go round. 

They head out to the car, and Riley is left with Jack for the afternoon. 

Jasper takes Mac to the car, putting his duffle bag in the back seat and checking his backpack just to make sure he had everything he needed in it. He sighs, putting the bag down and getting in the passenger side. 

“Bozer wants to come over for Thanksgiving with Leanna, I thought maybe your team could join too.”

Jasper nods. In the past two weeks, they submitted 3 applications, 2 at the same time, and have in return, gotten 3 very bleak rejection letters. Mac seemed a bit more tired when he read them, clung to Jasper a little harder. Jasper himself was eating a lot more butter. 

“I don’t see why not.”

Mac nods. “We won’t mention anything to them, about the baby situation.”

“Of course not,” Jasper agrees. “Maybe… I don’t know, we should try other agencies, or… foster homes or something.”

“Maybe… we’ll talk to the lawyer once I’m home.”

Jasper nods, leaning forward and kissing Mac. “Either way, it’s gonna be okay, right?”

“Of course it is. It just… would be nice to see a little one riding Cadmium like she’s a horse, and then when they’re too big look at pictures of them torturing our poor dog.”

“But being dog dads is not the worst.”

“No it’s not,” Mac agrees. Jasper lays a tender kiss on him, and then it’s wheels up to the airport. A rigorous drive from the Hudson Yards to Queens where JFK Airport stood loud and proud. Jasper eventually finds parking, Mac rushing to check in, dragging Jasper behind him. 

“I cannot miss this plane, or else my father will actually murder me.”

Jasper laughs. “You’ll be fine. You’re not missing the plane, you are going to catch the plane and fly first class with headphones in and be sound asleep.”

“And then I’m going to wake up and have to see my dad.”

“Yes, but it’s only for a few days and you are working things out with him, remember? Put your heart in it. And before you ask, if my dad was dying of cancer, which he would probably deserve, I would go see him, and I would try to fix things if I agree to trying to fix things. I don’t think… He wants to do harm, I just think he doesn’t know how to handle a social situation of any capacity from his level of isolation, let alone one that involves his son who he left a long number of years ago.”

Mac nods, moving with the line. “Worst case scenario is we eat some fries in silence together.”

“At least lie to me and tell me you have salads when i’m not around.”

Mac laughs. “Funny enough, you’ve tricked me into eating salads when you’re not around whether I want to or not. Last chemo session I ordered a salad over soup.”

“It was also like mid august and insanely hot. It was just before Riley came.”

“Right. But soup is good for the soul, no matter the time of year.”

Jasper moves up with Mac, getting closer to the check in. Their hands intertwine, Mac squeezing. “You’ll be good to Riley, won’t you?” 

“Have I been awful to her?”

“No, but… I don’t know, just, make sure she’s okay. Maybe let Michelle hang out with her or something. She likes Michelle.”

“I will do my best to steer her in the direction of hanging out with someone or going out or just working at the bakery more than a few days a week.”

“Thank you.”

Jasper smiles, kissing his head. They get to check-in, Mac getting his bags checked in and he moves out of the way, him and Jasper going towards his gate. Mac had 10 minutes, the two lingering outside of the entrance to the mall like structure on the other side. 

“You’ll be okay?”

Mac nods. “I’ll text when I’ve boarded.”

“Get yourself some coffee, don’t stress out a lot.”

“I brought all my grading so I should be able to get that done.”

“You will be fine.”

“I know. Gonna have some fun, with my dad.”

Jasper smiles, nodding. The kiss goodbye, Macs hand tracing down his arm before going to the line to get through the gate. 

Jasper waits behind the small barrier between the line and the rest of the airport. He watches Mac disappear behind the gate, and when he feels at ease about Mac getting through, he goes to the car, and just sits there a minute. He takes on the impending traffic, getting home quicker with the afternoon lull than he did getting there with the morning rush. 

Riley is on the couch with Whiskey, watching a movie when he walks in. Jasper tosses his wallet on the small table by the living room entryway. She only glances up briefly, Whiskey trotting over to him, to which he picks her up and kisses her head. He keeps Whiskey cradled in his arms until she claws her way out, going to hide somewhere upstairs. 

“I’m starved, I was thinking maybe I’d make some tomato toast and poached eggs?”

“That sounds great,” Riley agrees.

“Do you wanna come help?” 

Riley, seeming a bit distant and pouty, thinks for a moment before nodding. She follows Jasper to the kitchen, sits at one of the stools at the counter. Jasper takes out a thick demi baguette he had made earlier in the week, moving to the counter and starting to slice it up.

“So, I was thinking of giving Michelle a day off this weekend, and I thought, since Mac says you’re the life of the party, you could take her out or something.”

“You want me to take her out?”

“She doesn’t have many friends, and she tends to seclude herself, and well, Mac says you’re usually the opposite. So I thought, I don’t know, you could show her your moves or something.”

Riley nods, rolling her eyes a bit. “Is this another ploy because you think I need to stop… being antisocial or whatever it is you keep saying.”

“No, this is me looking out for Michelle.”

“And I’m the only person you thought to ask?”

“You’re the only friend of hers that I have any contact with, or know exists.” Jasper sees her looking down at her phone, as if trying to block him out or stop herself from saying something mean. “But if you don’t want to, that’s perfectly fine.”

“I don’t know any clubs around here,” She says, looking up a bit upset. “And, I know this is just you trying to make me socialize or something, but I wouldn’t mind having a night out with her. I just don’t know where we’d go. I’d also need to con the doorman into letting him think she’s 21 so she can get in.”

“We can make her a fake ID no problem. And put her in a little makeup and her baby face is gone in a second.”

Riley nods. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” 

“Are you… okay in general?”

Riley takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I just don’t… get it.”

“Get what?”

“You and Mac live these charmed, perfect lives together, and are so in love, and get everything you want or need in the snap of your fingers, manage to keep your lives together no matter what, just have… everything. You have everything, and it’s unfair! I mean, I wanted my life to turn around and face it for the better, but every second just feels like it only gets worse. Or that I won’t ever find happiness or love, and meanwhile, you just went on one date and found the perfect person!”

“It was one very coincidental date, Riley.”

“Oh sure, and your millions of dollars were just one coincidental auction.”

“That was actually a lot of observing and practice until I got my ideas to sell high, than used my great acting abilities to convince them I was very important and worth a lot of money. But the whole love thing, that just kinda happens.”

Riley seems charged, Jasper pulling out two glasses for them and setting them down in front of her on the counter. “We have wine, whiskey, champagne, gin..” he lists, but Riley just keeps ranting. She’s emotionally charged and firing. 

“And you know, here I am at your house, and how pathetic is that? That I’m some charity case that you have to  _ beg  _ to go out with people-”

“You’re not a charity case, and trust me, I beg Mac to just talk to people who aren’t in his direct circle.”

“I am a strong independent woman!”

“Yes you are.”

“I don’t need a man, I especially don’t need Billy, but then he texts me, or I see an old picture of us, and suddenly I just want to beg him for answers and for forgiveness, and I want him to tell me I’m the only one even if it’s pretty clear that’s not true.

“He cheated on me, and I don’t deserve that,” she declares. “I don’t but I just-” She gestures largely out of frustration and winds up knocking her glass off the counter. And the pristine ombre purple glass falls to the floor and shatters to a million different pieces. She looks up in horror, certain Jasper would be angry that she broke a glass from his favorite set of glasses. The one Mac had told her multiple times made Jasper feel adult for buying, and were very special to him. 

Instead he just seems to process the mess and grabs some wine and the rest of the glasses. “Between me and you, our lives… seem perfect, but we’re still facing things,” Jasper admits. He pours them both wine in the glasses. “But see, the thing I learned at a pretty young age is no matter how lucky you are, life still throws everything it has at you, just to see if you’ll stop or keep going. And sometimes the only way to keep going is to physically get rid of something.”

“But you love these glasses.”

“I do, they were expensive and they’re pure crystal and the purple is the prettiest purple I’ve ever seen. But they were one of our first purchases when we got married, and Mac and I are in a very different place in our marriage right now.”

“A bad place.”

“No… just a different place. A more mature place, where we have to deal with things that hurt or stress out together. So, we drink the glass and then we break it. Or, I can introduce you to the heartbreak ritual my team and I have.”

“What’s the heartbreak ritual?”

“When a member of the team is successfully dumped and loathing, the best way to get rid of the pain is to fill a whole glass of vodka and chug as much as possible, for whatever pain your feel, ain’t nothing like the hangover you’re gonna have tomorrow.”

Riley nods, thinking this logic over. “Lets do the vodka,” she says.

Jasper nods, stepping around the glass and grabbing the Vodka too. He grabs one of the tall glasses and fills it up. “Come on, drink your pain away. Say fuck you to Billy.”

Jasper opens up his speaker and plays a party playlist, turns up the volume to drown out any thoughts they could be having, second guesses that could pop up. 

Riley waits, and when he looks at her she nods, waiting until he nods back before wincing at the scent, they just going for it. She drinks as much as her stomach can handle, dizzy and after a minute very drunk feeling. She can’t help but toss her head back and throw her arms up as she cheers, Jasper laughing. She offers him the glass and he takes down what was left it. 

“Come on! Smasssshhhh the cuuuuup!” She yells, unaware of her own volume and he does it without hesitation. She cheers, taking an empty cup and tossing it to the ground. “Fuck you Billy Colton! That’shyou’re face!”

Jasper laughs, bubbly with drunkness. The next two glasses they smash together, hollering as they do. The two laugh and yell and go through every glass, occasionally filling them with more vodka before smashing the half empty glasses. 

They’re totally wasted, and Riley empties out her stomach some hour or so later in the downstairs toilet. Safe to say that Jasper follows not longer after. They end up on the hallway floor, drunk and sad and just leaning against it as the music thuds with the beat of their arteries. 

“Boys suck,” she says.

“Yeah they do…”

“Are you and Mac in a fight or sshmothing?”

“No. We’re just… I don’t know, I can’t say.”

“Why not?”

“I promised him I wouldn’t.”

She nods. “Husband rule thingyy right?”

“Yeah, husband rule thingy. What about you? I thought we were friends, why do you hate me so much?”

“I don’t hate you. M’just… jealous or something.”

“Jealous of what?”

“You have like….. Everything. The perfect life, perfect job, perfect people. And Mac is like… my rock. He means so much to me. It just ultra sucks that he left to get married. I felt abandoned. And then I got here, and he like… had a life and stuff. And I just felt like I didn’t fit, or that you didn’t want me to fit.”

“Why would I want that? I love you and I thought we were friends.”

She attempts to pat his shoulder and give a pout but she’s so drunk it only vaguely turns out that way: her face contorting and her hand just limply caressing his arm. “Forgive me? I want to be your friend.”

He hugs her, snuggling up. “Forgiven. You’re still my friend.” 

Jack comes in around 8.45 to check on the two, only to find them fast asleep on the floor cuddled up together. The house reeked of alcohol., almost as much as they did. Cadmium and Whiskey were no where to be found on the first floor, and there was glass all over the kitchen floor. 

Jack is left to piece together the mess they made, and why they made it to begin with. 

He gives up pretty quickly, going to grab the vacuum and the broom, making sure that the pets can’t hurt themselves, nor his two drunk kids on the floor over there. He cleans up, moves them both to a couch and tucks them in. Lets them solve it for themselves in the morning.

**\- The Following Morning -**

They were both hungover and nursing headaches, Riley going into the bakery, not sure what she’d say but certain that she was going to talk to him. She vaguely remembers Jasper asking why she hated him and that he thought they were friends, strongly remembers the feeling of guilt that followed, how he forgave her without her even directly asking for forgiveness. 

She brings coffee, it seems like the easiest sign of solitude. She wasn’t really sure how he liked it, even if she’s seen Mac do it a dozen times, but she thinks she’s gotten it right. The Triumph isn’t particularly busy, since the morning rush has passed and Michelle is just sitting at the front counter, amusing Macs students: Lauren, Collin, Finn, and Cassie. 

“Is Jasper here?”

“Yeah, the big Sheriff is in the office nursing a headache.”

Riley nods, not moving her hat out of her eyes in fear the light will give away her own raging headache. She goes to the office, knocking before stepping in. Jasper is laying there with his head on the desk. 

“I brought you coffee,” she says. 

Jasper glances up. “You did? Ugh, I shouldn’t but I need it.”

Riley gives a half laugh, the advil not kicking in yet for her to really be doing anything but giving her best resting bitch face. “You should, I made it out of love.”

This makes Jasper smile, he takes the cup, taking the lid off the top and just letting the steam pour out. “It’s still really cool out?”

“It’s closer to seventy degrees now.”

Jasper nods. “It won’t last,” he says, certain of this fact. “But that’s okay, I don’t mind the cold. And believe it or not, Mac seems to like fall weather too. He would rather die than admit he likes anything near the word ‘cold’ but he enjoys the leaves falling and the sweaters. Getting to wear fleece all day.”

“I like the fall. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are in style and nobody can judge you for it.”

Jasper smiles. “You’re my kinda gal.”

“Dunkin pumpkin spice?”

“All the way sister.”

They both smile, sipping their coffee simultaneously. “So, about last night…”

Jasper raises a brow, interested but he doesn’t say anything.

“I uh… I just wanted to thank you. It was cathartic, and I feel… better. And I’m sorry if I’ve been a real jerk to you lately.”

He smiles, almost adoringly. “I forgive you. And I was right about the whole vodka thing right? Hurts like a  _ bitch. _ ”

She nods, making a face as she tries not to laugh. “You’re right, it does. And now I really don’t even know what I was so upset about the last few weeks.”

“See, take that uh… thought and just don’t remember ever again. Just… move on.”

“Did it work for you?”

“Well my last breakup, I just sort of found Mac as it happened, and so I forgot about him and then fell in love with the hot agent from california.”

She laughs. “I wish I had that.”

“Trust me, there was enough heartbreak for me before that, that I got my fair share of The Ritual.”

“Can’t imagine why, you really are a good guy.”

“I just didn’t know how to pick em I guess. I wanted guys who couldn’t change for me to change.”

“I think that’s how i felt about Billy… I wanted him to be more than the smooth player who romances you. More than the tricky bounty hunter who got away with everything, was always one step ahead.”

“And then he wasn’t.”

“Yeah.. he wasn’t.”

“Well, I know some really hot guys if you ever want me to call one of them up.”

She laughs. “I’m okay..But I’ll definitely let you know when I need to take up that offer.” They fall into a moment of silence and she looks up at him, watching him nurse his coffee and take small sips. “Are we good, then?”

“Yeah, we’re good Riley. Everything is good.”

She nods. “Good, because I’m sick of fighting with you over dumb shit.”

He laughs. “Me too.”

“How about I finally let you book me and Michelle that spa day?”

Jaspers eyes light up. “Really?”

“Really. Tomorrow, we can go to a spa all day and then I’ll take her to a club or a movie night or whatever it is.”

“Deal. Don’t tell Mac we let her into a club though. That’s the uh… sister in law doesn’t tell her brother the crazy things they do when he’s out of town rule.”

She laughs. “Deal. I won’t tell Mac. It’s just between us.”

He nods, looking up briefly. “We should go help Michelle.”

“You stay here, I have enough advil to last hours. I’ll help her.”

“And hey Riles?”

“Hm?”

“You should work here more often. I like having you around.”

She melts into a smile, and nods. “Yeah, I’ll come as often as you let me. Being here is… kind of like being at home.”

He shrugs. “Not to be sappy but, this is your home Riley. You’re home.” 

She tears up just a bit, putting her coffee mug down and walking over to wrap her arms around Jasper, hugging him tight. She believes him, with her whole heart. That even if they fought, even if they weren’t on solid ground, even if Mac had a new life here in New York City, she was with her family, with the people who loved and cared for her more than anything. She was  _ home.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK you made it! you read all the way through this chapter and i love you SOOOO Much for it! 
> 
> Please, leave a comment and kudos, i ALWAYS appreciate your thoughts.   
> My tumblr is philipsheaisbaby.tumblr.com , my inbox AND anon is open if you want to message me or leave a comment there  
> Always here to hear you guys out! Thank you so much again for reading  
> all the love  
> Amirah


	3. October

**\- October -**

Mac came home earlier than expected from his trip to Berlin, walking into his apartment and finding it empty. Riley wasn’t there, Jack had a note on the door saying he’d gone out. He lets Cadmium out of her pen, his dog staying by his feet. He goes on to hold her as he checked Jaspers location on google maps, finding him at the bakery still. It was 9.30 PM, and so it was believable that Jasper would still be cleaning and everything since the bakery closed usually at 7.30/8 o’clock depending on the day. So Mac changed and showered, fed Cadmium before taking an uber to the bakery. 

He finds almost all the lights are still on and can see people inside. He unlocks the door and walks in, looking around in confusion. Lauren, Collin, Cassie, Finn, Riley and Michelle, are each at tables, two per table, and decorating little baby cakes. He can hear Jasper singing in the kitchen, coming out with small layered cakes, prepped for decoration. 

Mac clears his throat, the group looking up, Riley lowering her music as they look over. “Mac? What are you doing here?”

“I uh got a plane home early. What are weeee doing here?”

“Baking cakes,” Lauren says, focused on making a rose with a piping bag. “I’m very good at this,” she informs looking up and Mac nods, watching her pipe the rose.

“Yes you are,” Mac agrees, smiling as she gives him a bright smile. 

“I don’t think I’m doing this banner looking thing right…” Collin mutters, squinting at his ruffles along the cake. Jasper takes the piping bag and demonstrates, Collin squinting. 

“So uh, what are you guys doing?” he asks, looking at Jasper specifically.

“Making cakes,” he says cutely.

“Riiiight. And why is half my study group here, honey?”

“Oh, well they came looking for you for help.”

“And… you made them bake?”

“Well they all looked really stressed. So I decided to uhh, you know, just let them de-stress. Made a bunch of mini cakes, people love things like this. Go all ‘oh you mean some college freshmen made THESE cakes? How cute is that?’ and then they take two.”

“Mine are going to be top seller,” Cassie says, Finn watching her and trying to mimic what she was doing. 

“Did you… help them with Physics?”

“I have a PhD in chemistry not physics, baby,” Jasper reminds, and Riley looks up between the two as Mac squints at him. 

“It’s physics 1, not astro-physics and theoreticals of space.”

“Yeah, okay, but this guy-” Jasper points to Collin, “has Physics 10 questions. I couldn’t even comprehend half the words coming out of his mouth.”

Mac laughs. “See, I always tell him that he’s like a supergenius but he doesn’t believe me. He’s like… majoring in  _ economic engineering.  _ Which if you ask me, he could do so much better. If he were to do… I don’t know-”

“Physics and work in your lab for the rest of his life?”

“Exactly! Like perfect for him. He has such a big brain.”

“And brains can be applied anywhere the world needs it. Who’s to say he won’t do something totally brilliant in Engineering?”

“I won’t, I’m just working under my dad, so I’m ensured a privileged and well paid life, no risks, no ifs ands or butts. Will probably marry someone him and my mom think is so amazing, she’ll probably suck, and we’ll probably go on maritime vacations every spring and talk about how great the lobster is, just like we do every year. Then we’ll have kids named Steve and Deb and instead of divorce, because it’s so taboo, we’ll just take lovers and pretend to like each other at social parties. I’m just going to have a degree to justify my being there in some high and mighty position,” Collin says, just making swirls of frosting all over.

The two nod slowly, unsure of how to approach this. “Well, if all else fails or if you get sick of it, you uh… could have a real potential in baking.”

Collin scoffs. “Sure. Maybe I’ll just get my neck snapped in football. Would be better.”

Lauren shakes her head. “It’s probably a matter of time before my family kicks me out or disowns me or something, so, same boat.” The two high five, and Mac shakes his head. 

“Why is your family kicking you out?”

“I’m gay, remember? Mom and dad don’t like that their youngest trust fund baby likes girls and once the rest of the family finds out, i’ll probably be just another homeless teen on the New York streets.”

“No, you’ll just live with Jasper and I,” Mac says, Jasper nodding. 

“We both know the struggle.... In one way or the other. If you all need a home, we have one enough for you guys to stay. And to fund you through college.”

“And here I thought I hated my parents,” Finn says to Cassie who shakes her head. 

“Your flower is off,” she points out, fixing the flower he made. 

Lauren looks over at their cakes and looks over at her own. She shrugs and goes back to making polka dots around her flowers.

Mac moves to look at Riley’s creation, and finds his tech-genius sister is not the best of artists. Especially with frosting. 

“I know it’s ugly, you don’t have to make that face.”

“I’m not making a face! I’m just… admiring it.”

Jasper laughs. “It’s okay, I’ll leave her on macaron stuffing duty.”

Mac nods, Jasper pulling him in for a kiss, Mac melting for a moment before remembering four of his current students were all about 5 feet away, and he could hear all of them going ‘oooooooo’ in the background. 

The two part, Mac looking at them only moderately amused. They all go back to their work, as if they did nothing. “Did you guys want to ask your questions?”

Lauren takes two cupcakes and just pipes “no” in red on them, and hands one to Mac and one to Jasper. Mac laughs. “Okay, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” He looks to Riley than to Jasper, she glances up and sees an unspoken communication between them. 

Jasper gestures and Mac follows him to the office, the two going in. Mac kisses Jasper again, then once more before plopping down in the chair. “My dad got called away from an op, so I got a private jet home. I still landed local and had to take a cab, but, the quiet ride home was nice.”

“That’s nice. Otherwise, though, it went well?”

“Yeah, I think he’s getting better. And, we had a good enough this time, minimal fights. It was… you know, it was okay.”

“It was okay?”

“Yeah… It was nice. So, you and Riley are getting along?”

“We had a like… moment,” Jasper says, leaning against the desk. “We… got drunk and made up, and I don’t know, we worked it out. I hope…”

Mac nods. “Good.”

“Her and Michelle had a girls day most of today actually, went to the spa all day and then got dinner together. They came back as I was closing, just figured they’d hang out a bit more here until I was done closing, but your students were here and I had decided to busy them with cakes so…”

“You gave them cakes too?” Mac fills in, reaching his hand out, Jasper reaching his own and intertwining their fingers.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Well, I’m glad it was me who had to leave for things to work out,” he teases. “You all rely on me too much to fix things.”

“Yeah well that genius brain of yours always has the best plans. Even if they’re accidental.”

Mac smiles, leaning back in the chair. He takes a deep breath, eyes shutting for a moment. He had put himself in comfy clothes: joggers and one of his husbands sweatshirts. He buries his nose in it, eyes still shut. 

“If you’re tired, go home.”

“M’not tired just comfortable.”

Jasper laughs, picking him up off the chair, much to Macs dismay. He kisses Jasper and they go back to the main floor where Lauren, Collin, and Finn have taken to eating cupcakes, looking sort of sad. 

“You’ve never had sex,” Collin asks. 

“No, besides she probably has an STI.”

“Just dump her stupid.”

Lauren shrugs. “She’s nice sometimes.”

Collin and Cassie roll their eyes at the same time. “Are you guys hungry?” Jasper asks as if he hadn’t considered it before. “Because there’s food in the kitchen if you want.”

“What kind of food?” Lauren asks, looking up with her big blue puppy eyes. She had an eerie resemblance to Mac sometimes, but Jasper reasons she couldn’t be his secret child even if she wanted to be, there was hardly ten years between them. 

“I made stuffed peppers.”

She nods, standing up. “Show me the way, gay pride dad.”

Jasper laughs, taking her outstretched arm and leading her to the kitchen. Mac smiles, happy to see Jasper getting along with the kids so well. He takes laurens spot, watching Collin spin his cake and adding random globs of frosting to fill in any empty space.

“Tell Lauren she’s being an idiot dating that girl.”

“Why?”

“She’s bad news. Like, if anyone was bad news, it’s that girl. And all she does is hurt Lauren but Lauren just like accepts it.”

“She’ll come to terms with it, Collin. You just have to… be there to make sure she does before it’s too late, and be there for her when it’s over.”

Collin nods. “Be the friend that brings over nacho fries and ice cream.”

“Exactly.” 

“Did the rest of you want food?” Jasper calls, standing between the kitchen and the door to the kitchen.

“Tell Lauren to put me in her plate,” Collin says.

“Cupcakes are good,” Cassie says.

“Agreed,” Finn says. 

Lauren returns with a plate of food large enough for two, offers Collin a fork. “You have to try this, I’ve never had food this good in my  _ life. _ ”

Jasper laughs. “Thanks, Sugar.”

“How’d you get a guy from the south who also makes French food?”

“Luck and a charming smile,” Mac responds.

Jasper laughs. “Veerryyy charming, and then very awkward in the cutest way possible,” he coos, leaning against Macs chair. “Wanna decorate a cake for me?”

“So you can do what? Label it ‘my husbands failed attempt at designing a cake’?” 

“Precisely, then someone will buy it and feel very special about getting a piece of you. Maybe it’ll be Helen from third street who only comes in on Wednesdays near closing because she suspects you’ll be here around then.”

“Oooo Professor Macgyver, she has a crush on youuu,” Finn says and the other three nod, chiming in on the ‘oooo’s and Mac rolls his eyes.

“Nobody has a crush on me.”

“Helen has a crush on you, babe,” Jasper informs. “Did you wanna eat?”

Mac shakes his head, looking up and getting a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Cake and coffee though-”

“You have work in the morning,” Jasper interjects. “And I bet I can get a hold of a stewardess to confirm you drank your weight in coffee on a plane.”

“Please don’t call Matty how many k-cups I drank.”

“I won’t have to, because you’re not getting coffee now. So let me ask again, would you like to eat?”

“No, I’m okay…” Mac kisses Jaspers torso along his ribs, Jasper smiling, hand going through his hair. “Tomorrow I think is gonna be a movie and study day for my classes. Bring things to do, notes you want to go over. Problems that you couldn’t do.”

“What movie are we watching?”

Mac shrugs, thinking for a moment. “Back to the Future, maybe. Does that sound good?”

“Can we get pizza?”

“You can  _ bring  _ pizza but I will not provide pizza.”

“Can Jasper come with cupcakes.”

Mac looks to Jasper who leans against the chair his husband is sitting against. “That’s up to Mac,” Jasper says.

“You’re the one baking… if you want to bring them cupcakes, you’re more than welcome to my love.”

Jasper kisses Macs nose. “Sure, I’ll just bake something simple. Chocolate cupcakes or something.”

“Ooo make me brownies. I love your brownies. You never make me brownies.”

“I will make you all the brownies. Frosted too.”

“Wow, that’s true love.”

“You’re spoiled,” Michelle says.

“That’s why I got married,” Mac teases, kissing Jaspers arm. “That and he loves me and won’t leave me ever, ever. Otherwise he dies.”

Jasper smiles, kissing him. “Okay kids, lets wrap up all your baking ventures for the night. So I can get this goof home. And Riley.”

Jasper comes in with Brownies, Mac in his office, seemingly unamused as he leans back in his chair, squinting a man with reddish brown hair, couldn’t be older than 37. 

“I’m just saying, you’re really trying it if you think you can just have movie days and relax. That’s not teaching.”

“Movie days are for helping the students catch up with their high rigor course loads and ask questions. Mental health for students has been proven to be critically important and overwhelmingly disregarded. So, you don’t have to agree, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop doing it. Also the most complaints I’ve gotten this semester were about  _ you _ , Mr. Melville.”

“Am I interrupting something?” Jasper cuts in, and Mac looks up, shaking his head. 

“No, this is the asshole I keep telling you about.”

“Who is this exactly?”

“My husband.”

“You have a husband?”

“Yeah that happens when you’re a likable person. People like you enough to marry you. But I guess you can’t relate.”

“I have a girlfriend.”

“Congrats, you’ve won the ‘most testosterone in a room’ award. When do you want to collect your prize?”

“What’s the prize?”

“For you to-”

“Mac, no,” Jasper scolds softly. “We talked about this.”

Mac rolls his eyes and pops open the tupperware and melts at the scent of gourmet rocky road brownies. “Your favorite,” Jasper says.

“You’re the best.” Mac rewards Jasper with a kiss and goes to sit back down in his chair. “I have seven more tupperwares, and I cut them into medium pieces so it’s enough to be satisfying but also enough for whole classes.”

“Oh fabulous, and I’m guessing this one is Mac’s tupperware because they’re nicely sized pieces.”

“You guessed right.” 

They both look up as Melville clears his throat and Mac raises an eyebrow.

“Can I help you?” Mac asks, squinting at him. “Because I’m pretty sure the conversation ended, which means you’re more than welcome to leave the room.”

“You wait until administration hears about this.”

“Oh yeah, can’t wait until administration finds out I gave my students brownies in a lecture room, and let them spend a day catching up on work and asking me questions before a test. Sooooo threatening.”

Melville leaves, Mac rolling his eyes. “Keep doing that and they’ll fall out of your head.”

“Oh wow, thanks dad,” Mac mocks, scoffing and Jasper pinches his side playfully. “I love you but seriously.”

“Hey, so did you want-” Lauren starts walking in before hiding the two large frapps she got from starbucks behind her back. “To answer my questions.”

Jasper raises a brow. “You let her bribe you with sugar.”

“See the funny part is, she’s still going to be late to class and I’m still going to mark her present on time.”

“Yes but I’m not late if you’re also late.”

“Did you get Collin a drink this time?”

“Shit,” She whispers.

“Just give him mine, Jasper made me brownies.”

“What about us?”

“Have no fear, your brownies are, well waiting in the car until his lecture so they’re still fresh feeling. You know?”

“Not really,” she admits, holding up the two frapps and Mac picks one at random and offering Jasper a sip, he takes one and seems to immediately regret it. 

“Okay, you had questions?”

“Yeah a lot.”

An hour later, Jasper goes to the car and meets Mac in his lecture room for the period, Mac sitting on the day. “This is not a free period, you are supposed to be doing work, whether it’s mine or another professors. You are allowed to let me proofread your work, or help you on concepts that are going to be on next periods exam- Oh! Also my husband brought in Rocky Road-”

“These are actually triple fudge,” Jasper informs, stepping forward to the front by Mac. 

“I lied, triple fudge brownies for you all. They’re going to be up here for anyone who wants.”

“You’re married?”

“The fancy diamond ring is not just for fun,” Mac teases, holding up his hand so the big, glistening ring is on display. “This is my husband, Dr. Sheriff. He used to teach here, he now runs his bakery, Petit Triumph, full time.”

“Helloo,” Jasper introduces. “I made sure these have no nuts and are vegan! So it’s accommodated to most and I promise they are still the best brownies you’re going to ever eat.”

“Trust him on that, he is really good at baking.” Mac presses play on the movie, and allows his students to come up and grab brownies, ask questions, Jasper hanging around a bit. He leaves the rest of the brownies in Macs office with a ‘do not touch’ sign after he kisses Mac goodbye. 

Returning to the bakery, he sees Riley leaning over the counter, talking to a handsome Man, the two seemingly flirting. He doesn’t disturb, just sneaks into the back.

The rest of the week goes by smoothly. Mac finished grading all his tests, Jasper had gotten a lot baked that night to reopen on Sunday morning. He had taken Saturday off to spend the day with Mac, and run errands together. Mac had finished filling out another application as he waits for Jasper to come to bed. 

He comes out of the bathroom, his beard cleaned up and trimmed, hair slicked back from a shower. He pulls on the flannel Mac was wearing, leaving it unbuttoned and climbing into bed. Mac offers him the application to look over, moving so he’s hugging Jaspers bulging bicep, kissing his shoulder.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s a great application… I can proofread it tomorrow night before sending it to the lawyer.”

“Sounds great to me.”

Jasper puts the computer to sleep and gets off the bed to put it on the table by the arm chairs. He goes back and climbs into bed, Mac leaning up in his chest, kissing him gently. Jasper wraps his arms around him, holding him close. 

Mac grabs a book, opening it to read while cuddling Jasper against his chest. Jasper rubs his arm as Mac reads, kissing his head occasionally, nuzzling into him, relaxing. They rest against each other as Mac reads. He hums in thought, Mac glancing up at him. 

“If we wake up early, we can go to a farm in Jersey, and get all our produce and jams for the week. There’s this farm I saw and a farmers market nearby for anything we can’t pick from the farm.”

Mac hums, curling up against him, Jasper taking the book, doggy-earing the page and putting it aside on the bedside table. Mac pulls him back and kisses him. “How are things going with Riley?”

“Really well… There’s this very pretty guy who’s been coming in lately. I think maybe they have a… thing, but don’t mention it.”

“I see, secret. Don’t mention the hot guy to Riley.”

“Exactly,” Jasper says, Mac rubbing his chest, cuddling into him. “He comes by all week, flirting her up. She seems into him.”

Mac nods, patting his chest. “If you lean into the pillow, I will be much more comfortable.”

Jasper laughs, leaning them down into the pillows, gaining a kiss goodnight. “What kind of hot is he?” Mac whispers. “Like you shirtless kind of hot? Or you wearing a tank top tucked into your nice pants hot?”

“He’s tall, black and handsome hot, probably works wall street because he always is dressed super nice.”

“This is what she deserves.”

Jasper laughs, kissing Macs head. 

“You missed my lips.”

Jasper leans down and kisses him deep before cuddling him. “Bed time. We have grocery day tomorrow.”

Mac nods, “Farmers market,” he mumbles, cuddling him until he’s asleep.

**\- The next Morning -**

Walking out of her bedroom, she briefly witnesses Mac pausing in his bedroom door, Jasper in a tank top giving him a kiss.Mac grabs the laundry basket and whizzes off down the hallway to the laundry room just next to the bathroom. He opens the closet like door and is putting the laundry away into the washer, before harvesting the laundry in the dryer. He’s been up at least an hour, Jasper putting clothes away before disappearing the half open door. 

Riley glances into their bedroom, Jasper standing in the corner where a panel of the wall was turned to reveal a coffee closet. 

“Morning,” Jasper says without turning around.

“Are you going somewhere?”

“We’re going to do all our errands today. You wanna join in? We’re going to a farm and than a farmers market, and we’ll probably get a nice dinner. Whole day is going to be in New Jersey.”

“Oh… sure, why not. Is Jack hopping along?”

“No!” Mac calls, coming into the room. Riley watches Jasper turn around, handing him his mug of coffee. “What? Did I not show you my coffee corner?”

“No.”

“Oh, well, coffee corner.”

Riley nods. “Want a cup?” Jasper asks. “We’ll get bagels on the way out-”

“Did we vacuum?”

“Mac, baby please get ready. We can clean tonight-”

“I just want the house to be set when we get home.” 

“We have to leave before we spend all day in traffic. Please get ready.”

“Should I go change?” she asks, eyes landing on Jaspers shoulders as he turns to Mac who’s going to clean the bed, already starting on pulling the sheets off the bed to arrange it. He has long, jagged pinkish brown lines that tainted his otherwise pale skin, stretched and dark oddly seeming like electricity. 

She couldn’t help but feel oddly shaken, and turns to leave the room to get ready, not lingering on his scar… weird birthmark? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. 

She can hear them arguing through the door, over how many chores Mac could get done before he absolutely had to get ready and how Jasper had no problem leaving his husband behind and how Mac was certain they wouldn’t get caught in traffic. Occasionally they laughed, eventually the music quieted, luckily for her, it was just as she throws her hair into an effortless ponytail, and is grabbing her eyeliner. 

Riley makes it downstairs, listening to Mac and Jasper talk in the kitchen. Words that made sense and didn’t at all, and as she rounds the corner, she’s greeted with Mac handing her a to-go cup of coffee. 

“Ready to go?”

“Ready to go,” she confirms. 

Mac nods, Jasper kissing his cat goodbye and putting her down to eat. He looks to them and Mac holds out the keys, Jasper pulling Mac in for a kiss before taking them.

“Are you two hungry?” he asks.

“Starved,” Riley admits, Mac nodding. 

“We can get bagels on the way out,” he decides and Jasper agrees. They make their way to the car downstairs. The windows are rolled down, and the morning radio plays, Z100 with stories and words and callers that Riley had never heard of nor could relate to. Ones that Mac and Jasper seemed familiar enough with in their lives that they could say the announcers by name. Knew of them almost personally. 

They get bagels on a side street where it’s easy to park, just on the outskirts of the heart of Manhattan, where the corners tucked into townhouses and estranged bakeries beneath the side walks. Riley rushes down with them, waiting in line. Mac and Jasper are well versed in their orders, when Riley needs a moment to think.

She notices once again the two are talking and all she can do is listen. Their conversation, for once, wasn’t fast paced, rather it just went on in circles. About someone or other, and sharing instagram feeds. Mac gets a coffee with his bagel, Jasper gets something protein packed. Riley had just gotten a plain bagel with cream cheese. 

They eat in the car on the way there, Jasper wearing a warm sweater with the sleeves rolled up, Mac feeding him his bagel as he drives, They seemed to be sharing, but she couldn’t quite tell. And she finds herself more intrigued with the world that gleams past her: the big buildings, the industrial lots, the malls. 

She tunes back in to Jasper laughing, full and loud and smiling so hard he had dimples. It was something only Mac could do, make him laugh like that. Or that’s what she thought. Jasper was yet an elusive mystery and she hadn’t much incite on him. 

“Right Riley?” Mac teases, looking back at her. 

“What?”

“Just agree.”

“What am I agreeing too?”

“Does it matter, you’re always on my side.”

“I wouldn’t say always. Jack occasionally makes very good points.”

Mac seems moderately offended, Riley laughing.

The car ride is long and by the end Jasper is giving his heart to Stevie Nicks, singing along to  _ Gypsy  _ with a somber familiarity. Mac leans his head against the side of the chair, sunglasses on, hand following the waves of the wind outside. Occasionally the two look at each other and giggle, no real reason. 

For a moment, Riley considers that she never wants to leave. That even if they fight, or if she’s just finding her place around here, she never wanted to go home. That it was starting to feel a lot like home here, where Mac laughs for no reason, and his husband drives them to farms because he just wants to spend the afternoon amongst greenery. 

“Next exit is to the beach, wanna go?”

“Yes!” Mac chirps, as if totally prepared to go to the beach. 

“I’m just kidding you big puppy.”

“We should’ve brought Cad, she would’ve loved the wide open fields.”

“They don’t allow dogs,” Jasper says, and Riley doesn’t have to look to see the pout. 

“She would’ve loved it.”

“Next time we’ll find a farm that allows dogs.”

“Is it the next exit?” Mac asks restlessly, and Jasper promises it was, taking Macs hand and kissing his knuckles, Mac smiling, leaning forward to kiss Jaspers cheek. “Drive faster so we can get there faaaaster.”

“Leaving ops made you very impatient,” Riley teases and Jasper scoffs.

“Seriously? He’s always been like this. Always.” 

“No he hasn’t.”

“I remember on our… fourth date, I think it was, we were driving and we hit traffic and I remember, you know, we’re talking. Five minutes go by, ten minutes go by. Fifteen minutes we start getting quiet, and you can see him fidgeting in his seat, shaking his leg a little. Then you know, it’s been twenty five minutes, we haven’t started properly moving yet, just inching along the way LA is, and Mac is practically picking apart the jacket he wore over his t-shirt, you know, pulling apart the zipper and shaping it. I used to carry around a fidget cube for my assistant, Chickee, she had ADHD so when her medicine was wearing off, it helped her to have it, Mac? Never been more engaged in his life. Kept his hands busy until we just barely made our reservation.”

She laughs. “I wish I had stories like that. He’s always been my calm older brother,” She teases. “You’re being exposed.”

Mac laughs, Jasper pulling into a suburb town with bright colored houses, a big blue sky. “It’s okay, you both love me no matter what.”

“Yeah, except I’m sure he finds you being whiny extra cute.”

“Mmm you’re not allowed to know those things.”

“He’s extra cute in bed,” Jasper confirms, earning a smack. He turns left, the farm coming into view, traffic picking up, bright stop signs with lights, and hay wagons crossing the street into the road leading to the fields. It was enchanting to see, Riley had never been to a place like this or seen anything like it. 

“Gross,” She says after a moment, leaning forward in her seat to stare at the open road and Mac laughs. 

“Enjoying yourself?”

“A lot,” she says. “You do this all the time?”

“Just some of the time.”

“I don’t think I want to leave this place ever and I haven’t even stepped foot on the ground.”

“Well, we’re going to be here all day.”

Jasper stops at the stop sign and he turns into the driveway. Pays for all day parking. Mac is the first out of the car, stretching his limbs and then going to grab the reusable bags. Jasper follows to the back of the car, pulling Mac into a hug and Mac hugs him, kissing him gently before letting go. Riley comes out of the car, taking a video and zooms in on them. 

“Literally what the heck,” she says. “They’re hugging as if they haven’t been sitting next to each other for 2 hours.”

Jasper laughs, putting some of the bags back. “What? I literally don’t get to see him properly all week, let me have this,” Jasper says, sticking his tongue out at her, Riley doing it back. Mac is mostly amused, folding up the smaller bags to fit into the biggest one. They were only bringing three here, planning to do most of their shopping at a farmers market a few towns over. 

“He just loves me, Riley,” Mac says, Jasper nodding. She sends the long snap chat sequence to Bozer, captioned  _ ‘ridiculous’  _ with the laughing emoji, Mac gesturing. “Lets go buy our tickets so we can catch the nice hay ride into the farm.”

“I know they have really amazing pie here,” Jasper says. “We can grab some for Jack. What’s his favorite? Blueberry peach?”

“Yeah, he does love a blueberry peach pie. Says it reminds him of his dad, or something like that?” 

“Hey, he’s with Colleena today,” Riley says, showing a picture Jack sent to their groupchat. Mac awes. 

“They’re on a daaate,” he coos. “She’s good people. I like her.”

“I’ve only really met her once.”

“She likes to come by the bakery to see him. She thinks he’s cute.”

“Hmm not cuter than my mom,” She admits, making the two laugh. 

“You should invite your mom to come to the Thanksgiving dinner,” Jasper says. “We are actually doing that, right? Inviting everyone for Thanksgiving.”

“I’m almost positive.”

“We should throw a party this month. Next week.”

“Why?”

“Why not. Just a big dinner party, lots of lights and drinking and music. Order some hookahs. Invite Frankie and Smitty, your work friends, I can invite my friends, Riley can invite any of her friends… you know. Just the whole lot. As many people as we can jam into the house. Maybe your team could come, my team could come. We all get drunk on a Friday night with fancy orderves.”

“Mmm… next weekend we were going to the high end place with Dean Thomas and his wife, remember?”

“Oh riiight. At the place that’s impossible to get into, right?”

“Yes. Oh by the way, Riley, we’re going out with one of my teacher friends, you need to make plans next Friday.”

Riley laughs. “Thanks for clueing me in.”

“Anytime sweetheart.”

Jasper is looking at his phone, looking to Mac. “Friday after.”

Mac smiles, taking his arm as they stroll over to the big farmhouse that played its hand as a market. They go inside, Riley looking around in awe. She’d never been to a place like this, where everything was warm, rural. The whole place smelled like the penthouse after Jasper made them dessert. She feels oddly at home here, in this cute little town. 

“I’m going to take Riley to look around until you get us the tickets,” Mac says and Jasper nods, kissing him goodbye. Mac leaves the bags with Jasper, and he takes Riley’s hand, the two wandering around the big, open space.

Everything was fresh, and the fruit smelled pretty, the scent of apples wafting from their place in blue their little holders on the pyramid, each one shining, pristine, red, yellow, green. Mac took particular interest in the little pumpkins, some striped, and some bumpy, and some shiny, others dull. He liked the ones, she notes, that were particularly of no interest to anyone else: very ugly things it seems. 

He doesn’t put them in a basket or even think to keep them, he gives them all his adoration and love and then moves on. Riley watches him do this with several things in the store, admiring them, pointing them out to her. They smell things, and touch things, and even consider buying a few other things. But in the end, Mac moves on from whatever whim touched him to believe he wanted it to begin with. And it all ends up back in the front of the house, where Jasper had bought the tickets, and a small little trinket he was admiring.

“They said if you bought a certain amount of tickets, you got this cute little pumpkin thing. So, I bought the family behind us their tickets, and I got the pumpkin thing.”

Mac smiles, taking the little trinket delicately and observing it. “This would look great by our candle shrine in the foyer.”

The candle shrine is just a table in the foyer with candles and seasonal trinkets. Mac called it that because he thought it was funny, Jasper usually just let him. They recently updated the candle shrine with fall scented candles and things that Jasper says Mac bought along the course of his life: pumpkin shaped things, black cat candle holder, a little tombstone that said ‘RIP’ and lit up purple on the inside, green on the edges of the tombstone. 

“He would look great by the black cat,” Jasper agrees. 

“Or on top of the pumpkin candle. We can crazy glue him so when the lid moves, he goes with it.”

“Or we could just arrange him in different places.”

“What’s it’s name?” Riley asks, the two looking at the little trinket to consider it. 

“I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

Mac concurs the same.

They put the pumpkin trinket in the car, and head off to where the hayride line is to get into the farm. Mac holds Jaspers hand, the two keeping close to each other. Riley stands beside them, spinning her phone between her fingers, gazing at everything, with wide eyes. She looks at all the trees, all the grass, there’s kids chasing each other. There’s a petting zoo off the side, which she’s surprised Jasper has neither noticed nor tried to adopt each farm animal there. She’s surprised he likes living in the city at all, considering he loves nature so much.

“I was thinking of setting up a donation for the foundation run by New York Sanitation, about 6 million? That’s a million a day from our daily turnover at the bakery.”

“Sure, and our monthly donation for the ACE foundation goes through on the 30th, so..”

“We’ll be good to pay the bills,” Jasper teases. Jasper never really let Mac worry about the world around them ending, Riley noticed quickly, Jasper had secured all his bases. Mac sometimes mentioned the stocks they’d invested into, the patents they had, ensuring them more money than they really needed. They didn’t speak much of the charity they did, not publicly, but she knew it happened and it existed. That Jasper wasn’t just a big talker, because she’d gone out to do charity with him before.

Mac smiles, resting easy in his husband's arms, admiring his ring briefly as he does from time to time. Riley is taking pictures when the hayride pulls in, the people coming back getting off, and those waiting were filtered on. They were the last group pulled on, Mac helping pull Riley up onto the hayride.

She takes a few photo’s and videos, Mac smiling bright in all of them, kissing her cheek for their selfie together, the sun brightly pouring out onto their skin. 

Jasper minds his own business mostly, just breathing in the air, letting the sun warm his skin while it’s still out. He’s content, and for once, very quiet. For as long as she knew him, he never seemed to stop… existing, in any sense of the word. Always moving or humming or doing something. Never simply quiet, never at peace or at rest. Except now, he was just at rest, gazing at the world and the trees and the kids in their mothers laps, and the passing houses on the farm property. Totally enchanted, a tad bit yearning, seeming lost in his own train of thought. Mac rubs his shoulder mindlessly, just a force of habit, Riley thinks, mostly quiet too.

“Jasper wants to retire on a property like this,” he informs after a moment. “Or a french winery.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice?” Jasper says, as if in defense of his wishes.

“For a while.”

“When we’re 70 and withering, I think it’d be very nice. No cares in the world, just trees galore, and fruit that’s fresh. And squash that is our own. No markets, no middlemen, just us and a big garden full of our own homegrown things. A little bit of income but we won’t need much. A simple, aged life.”

“Sounds lovely, mon coeur..” Mac leans in and kisses his cheek, gaining a kiss on the lips, short and sweet. Mac leans his head against his shoulder, not paying attention to anything outside his husband, lacing their hands together. Jasper keeps Mac close, protected, and Riley can only think it’d be nice to have something like that, have someone who’d protect her, or kiss her on hayrides to the insides of a farm. She thinks maybe, if she plays her cards right, that man who keeps coming into the bakery to see her, could maybe be the one to give her that.

\- Back at the Apartment - 

Jack was watching Cadmium, his morning date over. They’re watching Bruce Willis movies, the dogs vacant understanding giving Jack the feeling of talking to someone. He smiles as he gets pictures of his kids at the farm, most of them seeming to be taken by Jasper and that fancy camera he usually totes around. 

He glances around the apartment, stands up and just paces around, goes to get a beer from the fridge. He stops and grabs the tablet they had, fancy expensive thing. He saw no real good use for it, he hardly saw either of the boys use it. But he liked to play games on it and so he picks it up and he sits down with it, not realizing he’s opened it and accidentally pressed the email button as he totes it across the room to the couch. He looks down, Macs email opened. 

He’s about to click out when an email catches his eye, and well… they had no secrets right, him and Mac? And he’s sure his eyes are fooling him.  _ Corresponding to your adoption papers.  _ He hesitates for a long time before finally opening it, trying to figure out all the reasons Mac didn’t tell him about this, why him and Jasper kept quiet. Then he opens it to reveal the heartbreaking rejection letter, coldly tagged with  _ you are always welcome to try again and submit other applications.  _

He wonders how much Mac has hurt without him, he wonders if that’s why Jasper has been buying a lot more butter lately. 

\- A Farmers Market Somewhere - 

They spend the early afternoon picking apples and corn and a few squash. They relax by the trees, Jasper taking pictures of Riley as they go along. They end up at a big farmers market, full of diverse people and vendors, and Mac, as if he wasn’t already swooning with love for his husband, falls in love all over again. He sometimes forgets how Jasper draws people out, telling their stories, bringing out the best in everyone he saw.

Currently, he was watching Jasper talk to a frail, old chinese lady who had a strong voice made to bend iron with its strong nature. She tells her story with a vivacity that only Jasper could bring out in someone, he listens intently, is totally immersed with her words, while Mac was mainly immersed in Jasper. His smile, how he nods, his thoughtful look when she says certain things. She’s laughing now, telling him a story of her first husband, the wicked man and how she once gave him a bad fruit of the kind she was holding up. 

“But good fruit? Best taste in the world. You try it?”

“No I’ve never tried it,” he admits, laughing too and she shakes her head.

“That do you no good. This is good for your soul. They say it grants you to heaven for eating it.”

“Really?”

She nods, cracking the fruit open with her hands and offering half to Jasper as if bestowing upon him the greatest gift. Jasper takes the half and offers it to Mac first.

“I’m not going to heaven if you’re not there with me.”

Mac smiles, taking a bite of the inside, humming. It was pure, and sweet, refreshing, almost light. It was like a wakeup call to his every cell, he’d never had anything like it. Jasper tries it after him and is totally blissed by it. Mac can already see Jasper conjuring recipes: puddings, Jams, toast combinations for breakfast, jellos, danish fillings. He’s almost dreaming of tasting each one, so uniquely his husbands.

“First or second husband?” the woman asks him.

“First.”

“How long?”

“Almost 6 years together, 3 married.”

She nods approving. “Don’t let him go, love… very important thing. A great privilege in this country that my country does not have.”

Mac nods, Jasper smiling. “And a privilege a lot of people here don’t have. I’m lucky to have him,” he admits, the woman helping him pick the perfect range of the fruit. “Between me and you, I think you’re my favorite vendor so far.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You remind me of my mother.”

The woman smiles so warm and kind, and Jasper smiles back. Mac knew this was the highest honor Jasper could give someone, and he never just gave it to anyone. 

“You, take what you want for low price here. I charge you less than half.”

“You don’t have to-”

“No, that’s family discount. Only if you come back often.”

Jasper smiles. “I promise.”

“And my husband has restaurant.” She hands him a business card. “He’s good man, he will like you. If you ever need anything, call him.”

Jasper nods. “Thank you. Same goes to you.” Jasper takes out a tiny notebook he keeps around with him and leaves her both their numbers. Mac follows him, the two finishing the halves of the fruit they were left with. “I’m so lucky,” Jasper says. “To have you and our lives together.”

Mac smiles, kissing his shoulder. “You’re not one to talk. I have the best husband in the whole wide world, nobody can compare.”

“Not even his husband?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm I beg to differ.”

“You can say you beg to differ, that doesn’t make you right.”

Jasper laughs, pulling Mac towards the stand with the jams and fresh honey. He instantly goes to the honey while others guffawed at the jams, knowing they’ll make their way over and there won’t be any left once he gets the Jam he wants. “What kind of honey do we want?”

“The best one,” Mac says as if it were so simple. To him it was, to Jasper it wasn’t. 

One of the men smiles and moves to speak to them, offers samples. They spend thirty minutes, Jasper deciding which honey and size and also buys a few canisters of tea to match. Next is jams, then they go to get eggs, milk, and oatmeal. Jasper gets all the rest of the fruits he needs, vegetables. Riley comes along with some new creams and makeup, showing them off at the car. Jasper takes a great interest in the honey oatmeal lotion she bought.

“I might steal this from you.”

“I wouldn’t blame you, or even stop you. I got 2 other lotions.”

Jasper nods, smelling the lotion and then making Mac smell. Mac hums, Jasper giving him some, the two smiling. 

“Okay you two like each other too much today, like more than usual.”

“Do we? Feels normal to me,” Mac says, kissing Jaspers shoulder. “Do you like me more than normal?”

“Arguably I like you less than normal,” Jasper says straight faced, Mac maintaining the appearance, nodding as if this was something to ponder over.

“Makes perfect sense.”

“No way,” she says. “You actually like each other too much.”

“And now you get to sit through dinner with us.”

“Oh perfect.”

“Totally.”

“I’m starving,” Jasper agrees. “Lets go find a nice place to eat. There’s always a great place in Jersey.”

“Oh yeah, because you’re such a jersey boy.”

“Shut up, Mac.”

“You shut up.”

Riley takes this opportunity to sneak the keys to Jaspers car and he looks up and she shrugs. “That’s what happens when you fight with your husband.”

“We’re not fighting!”

“Sucks. I wanna drive.”

“Crash the car, you pay for it.”

“He doesn’t mean that.”

“Yes i do.”

“Shush, she knows how to drive a car.”

“My car is special.”

“Says any guy who goes to the gym as long as you do.”

“Did I jinx your mood?” She asks, confused. The two laughing, Mac kissing Jaspers shoulder.

“You get back seat,” Mac says. 

“Fair enough.”

Riley picks a place that is very pretty, and likely expensive. Jasper is charmed, Mac just sticks to him, holding his hand to his heart, mindless almost. He doesn’t even seem to know he’s doing it. In the car, Jasper had control over the music, and when  _ The One  _ played, he started telling Riley how him and Mac were at a bar, for a birthday party for one of his friends, and how this song started playing, him and Mac still shy of each other, uncertain of each other. And they were talking and they were standing so close to each other, and then they  _ kissed.  _ All wrapped nicely with Jasper informing her that’s how he won over his hot bitch of a husband, and Mac rolling his eyes fondly, smiling with familiarity. 

She wonders how many times Jasper had told this story, if he told it everytime the song played, if everyone they knew could tell her that Mac and Jasper had their first kiss at a bar while  _ The One  _ was playing and there were blue lights shining, and Mac looked just so damn kissable the whole night for whatever reason, and that’s how Jasper Sheriff landed himself a healthy and loving relationship. She herself could recount certain details, because she’d heard Jasper tell it thrice before, and Mac once, at the wedding Alter had recounted how it was Jaspers favorite story to tell. That he fell in love with a guy he kissed at a bar, but mainly because he didn’t want to show face at a party alone. How sometimes they go to bars, and people think they’ve just met for the first time.

And now, as Jasper asks for seats to a lovely table outside, she watches as Mac persuades Jasper into outdoor seating, in what specific corner, and if it could have a candle, because the days were shorter now and it would be dark soon.  _ Not under the tree  _ and almost perfectly in the center. 

She doesn’t know what makes the table special to Mac, and Jasper either knows or just doesn’t question Macs maze of requests. As they’re seated, Jasper excuses himself to the bathroom, and she thanks the waiter for the menu, Mac already requesting a wine off the menu, one he’s certain Jasper likes, and she thinks that their relationship has a familiarity worth longing for. 

“Why’d you ask for this table?”

“Oh, I do this thing when we go out to test his patience. See how much I can ask for before he tells me no. I go on and specifically demand the most obscurely placed table, as difficult as possible, and he always comes through on it, and then I’ll go on to ask about the flavors on the menu, or the science behind vinaigrettes- and what’s healthier: dressing or vinaigrette? And he’ll always say neither is preferable but still get a champagne vinaigrette either way. Early in our relationship, I was sort of just testing him, scientifically theorizing how far I could push my new boyfriend, see how easily he would get annoyed with me. And usually they were genuine questions, because you know me, I hate fancy restaurants and I don’t know the difference between  _ Chateaux Margaux  _ or the Wine Sellers discount bottle.” 

She smiles. She remembers how their team rituals were bars or pizza and ski ball. How they were never ones to go to fancy places, and Mac was eternally grateful for whatever greasy food he got his hands on. “I remember. And, what did you find?” he looks confused. “About your scientific theory on Jasper Sheriff.”

“Oh! He loves answering questions, or maybe just the sound of his own voice. Eventually I’d start requesting booths, because that meant I could sit really close to him, and be kinda cute about bugging him. He’s eternally patient with me, it’s almost ridiculous.”

Riley laughs, baffled by Macs findings. Jasper was so particular about the way things were done, and she’d seen him get frustrated and try to hold his reservations. She can’t imagine Mac buzzing in his ear all night about salads and dinners and health factors for him to just accept it as patiently as possible. 

Jasper returns from the bathroom just before the wine comes out with a basket of breadsticks and marinara sauce. Jasper thanks them, Riley smiling at the waiter. 

Jasper splits a breadstick with Mac, and Mac happily accepts. Jasper takes up the menu, Macs perched against the table. He hardly looks at it, and Jasper, as if conditioned, just starts telling Mac what interests him most after a minute. Mac hardly has to look down, as he just seems to pick up on what Jasper is telling him, and says that he would love something as refreshing as a peach salad. 

“What do you think of a butternut squash soup?” 

“I think it sounds just fine,” Mac says, Riley laughing. 

“What?” Jasper asks.

“Nothing,” she says. “You two are just funny, that’s all. You’re like an old married couple.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “He does this  _ awful  _ thing where he doesn’t eat the restaurant, we take the leftovers home or to the bakery, and then he’ll watch me work while eating what’s usually almost his whole plate of dinner,  _ cold  _ on the counter.”

“I don’t do that.”

“You do it every time.”

“It tastes better at home.”

Riley laughs, Mac sipping from his wine glass, shrugging innocently, as if to say he’s not guilty of this. “And what are you ordering Mac?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he says, taking up a genuine interest in the menu. Different than Jaspers interest, which usually is genuine in the concern of his palette. Mac was a lot like Riley, where as long as it tasted good, and it smelled nice, that’s all that mattered. “How fresh do you think their salmon is?”

“Probably frozen, which contrary to popular belief, when frozen correctly, frozen food retains freshness much better. So if it was a frozen shipment this morning, and cooked properly, it’ll be quite flavorful.”

“And if it wasn’t?”

“Well, that’s the gamble you play when you order fish at a restaurant.”

“What if it wasn’t delivered fresh?”

“The gamble is a bit more dangerous because if it gets too warm, the bacteria increases and usually it’s bad bacteria. No bueno, as Julius would tell you.”

“You should ask if they get it fresh or frozen.”

“I will definitely ask for you.”

Riley has decided to taken up watching the two interact, Mac diligently pointing out each dish that catches his interests and Jasper usually musing his interests and questions. She notes that  _ occasionally  _ Jasper will just pretend not to hear him, or take a sip of his wine, as if to say, he’s too busy to answer his question, and then proceed to say something or other about the wine. 

When the waiter comes, Jasper asks about the menu, about the ingredients. So while Jasper ends up ordering a perfect contingency of courses, Mac gives suggestions, Jasper finalizes his order, and Riley is left sort of lost, so Jasper orders for her and tells her she won’t regret it.

She doesn’t. 

By the time they’re driving home, she’s tipsy on wine, and flushed pink. Jasper is sober, driving and singing at the top of his lungs. Mac and her talk the whole way home, their sleep deprivation from the morning worn off, and now they were lively and awake. 

The highways are clear, people having reached their destinations, have long gone home, the evening sky cloudy and dark the way it was in the fall, the trees on the side of the highways wilting, orange, red, purple. It was like a sunset in pitch black, illuminated by dull orange lights, making no effort but to create ominous shadows that latched to their laughter and seemed to follow them home.

Jasper speeds down the highway, the windows rolled down. The music is loud, and Riley and Mac can’t hear each other anymore. There was just a thrill to the evening that fills them whole heartedly, for no reason whatsoever, just that they were going fast for no reason. No danger. No trouble. No monsters in the dark. They were flying through the highway and there was loud music, the lights passing through them felt like a movie. And for the first time since she was 16 Riley felt very young. 

Getting home, where the high ends, and the music is turned down and mellowed out, is almost upsetting. She already misses the feeling of her laughter. She reminisces the way Mac gripped Jaspers arm as he laughed, telling his husband to slow down. It almost seemed the perfect situation to end in tragedy, but they got home, and got home safe. In one piece. No scratches to the car. 

Mac leans back in his chair, not ready to get out of the car, him and Jasper just holding hands, just there together in the garage light. For a moment it feels like it’s always been like this: her and her brother and his husband. The world spinning between the three of them, Mac telling her stories about how he annoys Jasper and her watching Jasper keep his patience, start talking about the wine when he thinks he could lose his cool. 

She’s the first to open the car door, breaking their bubble. “We’ll meet you upstairs,” Mac says, and she nods. Jasper smiles and she smiles back. She goes upstairs, beats them to it, leaving the two in quiet, the music off, the car off. “The agency emailed us.”

“Did they?”

“During dinner.”

“What did they say?”

“They want an interview.”

Jasper looks at him, their eyes meeting. Mac is biting back a smile, and Jasper can’t help it when he bursts out laughing. He’s just so  _ happy.  _ It finally felt like they had a fighting chance, like they could have a baby of their own. He leans in and kisses Mac, their joy bubbling between them. 

“When are we going in?”

“I don’t know. They sent a list of times, I thought we could pick one. Something that works for us both.”

He nods, waiting for Mac to pull up the email. They just stare at the screen for a bit, looking at the times listed. Finally they decide on Tuesday at 7.30, Mac gripping Jaspers hand as he selects the time to email back. Jasper kisses Mac again, Mac tensing with joy. He cups his cheek, rubbing along his beard. 

It felt like everything was working out for them. 

\- Tuesday 7.30 PM - 

They sit in the office, dressed nicely, holding hands as they wait to be called in for their interview. They wait, holding hands, Mac’s heart pounding in his chest. Jasper occasionally speaks to him in French, Mac responding as clearly as he can. 

“Mr. Jasper and Angus Macgyver Sheriff?”

“That’s us,” Jasper says, standing with Mac. The woman nods, looking them over critically, she writes something down on the clipboard, glancing them over again, Mac looking to Jasper nervous. “It’ll be fine,” he whispers. “We just have to ace the interview, she doesn’t matter.”

“Right,” he whispers back, taking a deep breath, Jasper rubbing his back. They sit in the room, a young woman, well into a pregnancy, sitting there with someone from the adoption agency. 

“Good evening,” the agent says, standing up and holding out his hand. “My name is Mr. Webber, I’m the head of my department in the agency. This is Ms. Tana Laurens.”

“Good evening,” Mac says, shaking the man’s hand, lightly grasping the woman’s. “Thank you so much for giving this opportunity. It really is an honor. I’m Mac, this is my husband Jasper.”

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Jasper says, shaking their hands. 

“How long have you been married?” she asks curiously. 

“Over two years now,” Jasper says, and she nods, smiling. 

“Wow, and you dated how long?”

“About three, so in total five years.”

“That is so nice,” she says softly. 

“Yes it is,” the guy says. “But length of a relationship doesn’t describe the health of it. So we need to decide how suitable you are going to be to become a family unit.”

They both nod, glancing at each other. “We just need to start with some basics. You listed a high yearly income.”

“Yes, we uh… we both work very hard,” Jasper says. “I run a very successful bakery, it’s my pride and joy.”

“So you must be very busy,” the man leads.

“Oh well… as long as I stay ahead it’s all very manageable. It’s a family friendly place… we’ve made a lot of great acquaintances, strong connections there. It’s really like our customers are family. Our workers are all great people, we’re super closer to them.”

“And what does Mac do?” he asks. 

“I’m a professor. I help at the bakery after my classes, or I grade at one of the tables. I totally live for my students, helping them, making sure they succeed in any way.”

“A professor is supposed to say that.”

“Well I mean it.”

“Tell us about your students,” Tana asks.

“Oh well, every semester I do this study group with about 10 of my students, and this semester is my favorite group since I started teaching. I have these 4 students in particular that I’m just super close to- Lauren, Collin, Finn and Cassie. They are just so smart, and brilliant. They have so much potential, and each one is so unique. I mean Lauren wants to be an architect, but she just grasps science so well.”

“You sound so passionate about them. Where do you usually hold them?”

“The bakery or my office. Usually at the bakery Jasper helps, gives them crafts to do so they have a little down time.”

The woman seems enchanted. “Do you have pictures? I love bakeries.”

Jasper pulls out his phone and shows her pictures, she looks through them, eyes gleaming with joy. “Are all these pictures of you two?”

“Yeah,” Jasper says softly. “We’ve been through so much together, good and bad. But.. you know, through it all, no matter what we had each other. I’ve always had Mac… we’ve always had each other.”

She nods. “And you would say you’ll always have each other?”

“Death before divorce is the saying that comes to mind.”

“Because you’re scared of divorce?” the agent asks.

“No, because, and I can’t speak for my husband, but I don’t think I could live without Jasper,” Mac admits. “Like he said, we’ve always had each other. Through good and bad. Nothing will change that love we have.”

The agent nods, breezes through a few more questions, asks them about their living situation, how often they travel, if they have experience with kids. She’s particular interested in their students, Macs study groups. The young woman there loves them, and Mac has a good feeling swimming into the bottom of his stomach. 

“I think it went really well… don’t you?” Mac whispers. 

“I think it went really well… We should have a shot, like a really good one right? She liked us, don’t you think?”

“I think she did. I think we clicked,” Mac says optimistic. 

“We should stop by the liquor store, get some champagne, and some cheesecake.”

“We could go to Old Homestead,” he suggests, hugging Jaspers arm, kissing his shoulder. Jasper unlocks his car, Mac getting in on his side, and they linger in the darkness of the car for a few minutes. “Riley is still at the bakery?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s get her to close up, she should come with us.”

Jasper nods, kissing Mac. “That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? A little family dinner. And Jack could come too.”

“And Jack. Where was he today?” Mac asks, squinting at Jasper a bit.

“Oh he was just… he had some paperwork I asked him to do,” Jasper says and Mac nods, taking his hand. “He did.”

“I know… Just think he’s probably bored.”

“Well, I think it does Jack some good to be bored sometimes. The point is, he can come to get steak with us, and we can celebrate as a family.”

“Are we going to tell them?”

Jasper and Mac meet eyes, and the thought lays between them. “I think we should wait. Like we said, until they officially are going to hand us a baby…” 

“Agreed,” Mac says, lacing their hands, looking up with a smile. “Now, you should call your people and get us a table, so I can have the best steak in New York City.”

\- The Petit Triumph Bakery -

“Is Riley here?” 

“And who are you?” Michelle asks. 

“Chance, uh… a friend of Riley’s, I think.”

Riley comes out of the back, balancing a tray of carefully put together, layered rectangular cakes. “Your friend is here,” Michelle says, taking the tray. Riley smiles easy at chance.

“Hey,” she says, a bit awkward, almost shy. 

“Hey,” he says in the same manner, Michelle looking between them, raising her brow. 

“Do you two need a minute?”

“Oh uh… no, no, why would we- Uhm, this is Chance, he usually comes in when you’re helping Jasper in the back.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m guessing this is Michelle.”

“Yeah,” she says, and he nods, thrusting his hand forward as if Nervous. Michelle, who just put gloves on, raises her hands and shakes them. “Oh! Right… Okay, that was dumb. I’m chance.”

“I collected that,” she says, filling up the correct tray. “Again, do you two need a  _ moment _ or do you plan on ordering something?”

“Uhm… no, I just… I’ll take a honey vanilla iced coffee,” he says, picking the first thing he sees off the coffee menu. Riley nods, typing it in, her hands shaking a little. She glances up at him and they both smile at each other, their whole worlds bursting into flames around them, heart beats picking up. 

“Doesn’t seem your type.”

“Doesn’t hurt to change it up sometimes.” 

She nods. “So what happened with that client of yours?” she asks, trying to alleviate the tension. His whole body collapses forward, on his arms.

“I hate that guy! I mean, I spend all afternoon explaining the unpredictability of the stock exchange, and how we can’t guarantee any highs, that it was perfectly natural for the lows to happen. And he just doesn’t get any of it. I’m telling you, one day I’m going to get out of that building one day. Make my own building, be my own CEO.”

She smiles. “You can do it,” She says. 

“You can be my second hand woman, won’t have to work at this bakery anymore.”

“It’s my brother in laws,” She says. “I work at a think tank.”

“I’ll pay you better anyways. We can be a dynamic duo.”

“I want 6 figures.”

“It’s a done deal Miss Riley.”

“My last name is Davis,” she says, flirting. The door opens and they both straighten, Mac and Jasper coming in, bubbly and flirty. Jasper looks to Chance and smiles.

“Hey Chance, I don’t think you’ve ever met my husband- Mac this is Chance.”

Mac looks him over approvingly, offers a hand. “Hi Chance,” he says.

“Hi. You’re Riley’s… brother?” his brow furrows, looking between the two. “Am I missing something?”

“We have a mutual father figure,” Riley explains to Chance. He nods, laughing.

“I see,” he says. 

“Where were you guys?” Michelle asks.

“Oh uh-” Jasper squints at Mac. 

“I had a doctors appointment,” Mac says. “Just a check up, and you know, I’ve always hated the doctor. It’s nicer when he’s there with me.”

“Awwh, you need someone to hold your hand at the doctors?”

“Yes. Anyways, I wanted to go out to dinner. So close up and get ready. Our reservation is for 9 PM.” 

Riley nods, Chance taking his coffee, paying for it. “I should get going then.”

“Yeah… I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Sure,” he says smiling at Riley, shyly. She smiles back. Mac raises a brow, hand running over Jaspers arm. She realizes they’re dressed too nicely, and she doesn’t believe they were at the doctors.

“Do you want me to help you, Shelly?” he calls, and Michelle pops her head out the door.

“Why? You guys go, let Riley get dressed. I got everything under control. Jack is in the office working on something by the way? He’s been on the phone for like an hour.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Jasper says, leaving Mac with a kiss and disappearing behind the doors. Riley and Mac both stand each other with the same accusing look.

“Where were you?”

“Who was that?”

“I asked first.”

“No you didn’t,  _ I  _ asked first.”

“You asked at the same time,” Michelle says, taking out two trays to carry to the back. Riley raises a brow waiting.

“We were at the doctors.”

“You know you’re still an awful liar. All the wonders that man can work on you and he couldn’t teach how to lie?”

Mac rolls his eyes. “I’m not lying. We were at the doctors office, and I said I could really go for a steak from Old Homestead. He said he’ll call and make a reservation, because I get special husband treatment. Now, who’s the boy?”

“He’s just a friend.”

“You never blush when you smile at me.”

“I wasn’t blushing!”

“You were!”

“Now, now children,” Jack teases walking in. “What are we fighting about?”

“Riley has a crush on a hot guy,” Mac says. 

“Mac is hiding things and saying he was at the doctors like a  _ liar. _ ”

Jack looks at Mac who is busy declaring he  _ wasn’t  _ a liar, and he has a good idea of what he was hiding, his heart thundering in his chest for a moment. Why did Mac feel like he had to hide? They went through wars together, but baby rejections were a burden too great to share? It just didn’t add up for Jack.

“What boy?” he cuts in suddenly.

“Chance.”

“The hot black kid who keeps coming in, always dressed in a suit?”

“He works on  _ wallstreet _ ,” Riley says with stars in her eyes. “He has to wear a suit. And why’d you say it like that?”

“I’m just saying, he looks like a baby and he’s always in a suit.”

“Well he is in fact an appropriate age for me. He’s about Macs age. 26. And did you not hear a thing I said about Mac lying?” 

Jack snorts. “They probably went out to eat or something and didn’t want to tell us.”

“No, we’re going out now. As a family.”

“We can have this discussion in the car so they can change before we go?”

“The restaurant is on the other side of the city,” Jasper complains. “I have no idea why we chose the most inconvenient location for a penthouse.”

“Because it’s a lovely penthouse.”

“There’s better ones that you could’ve picked,” Jack agrees with Jasper. Mac rolls his eyes.

“It’s our  _ home  _ and you all love it.”

“My home is wherever you are, my love. Now please, out so we’re not late.” 

Everyone else goes to the car, Jasper making sure Michelle is okay and will call him if she needs anything at all. He gets to the car, finding Jack and Riley bickering about Chance, Jasper smiling. Mac looks up from his phone, answering student emails. 

“My Physics II students are having a meltdown due to the homework I assigned, so I think tomorrow is Physics II movie day.”

“Amazing,” he says, kissing Mac gently. “What are you going to show them?”

“Kinda wanna watch Star Wars. Thoughts?”

“Probably will be lucky if you can think straight by tomorrow.”

“What are we cluing into?” Jack asks leaning forward.

“Nothing,” Mac says. “I’m having a movie day to help my students figure out their homework.”

“Ew, you have sex when I’m home,” Riley complains.

“Have you ever seen me naked?”

“No…”

“Have you ever heard us having sex?”

“No.”

“Then how could this possibly be an issue for you?”

“I know it happens and now I know it’s happening later.”

“I was talking about the movie I was showing in class tomorrow, not getting laid. If that’s what you want to think, that’s on you.”

“But Jasper just said-”

“Jasper says a lot of shit.”

“Jasper is driving us home so Riley and Jack can look decent,” Jasper says, in fact, driving them home. He gets there as quick as they can, parking in the lot and waiting as the two go to change, Mac taking Jaspers hand and holding it to his heart. “We’re going to have a baby,” he says dreamily. 

“Maybe,” Jasper reminds. “We shouldn’t get our hopes up…”

“I have a good feeling about this.”

“I thought you weren’t superstitious.”

“You’re rubbing off on me.”

Jasper smiles, tugging Mac closer, leaning his forehead to Macs, the light from a passing car shining against them. Mac rests his left hand against Jaspers neck. “You’re rubbing off on me too..” he says softly. “I have the same feeling…”

Mac can’t help but well with glee, him and Jasper leaning into each other, before Mac pulls away, centimeters from his lips. 

“What if I’m psychic too? Like psychic by contract.”

“Contract of…?”

“Marriage?”

Jasper laughs. “I don’t even remember why I told you that.”

“It was the first time I came over to your house, and we were all shy, and you kissed me and said you knew I wanted to be kissed because you’re psychic.”

“Right… wow I used to be such a player. You really married my stupid ass?”

“Stupid ass looks pretty genius from where I’m sitting.” 

“You flatter me too much.”

“I just love you too much.”

Mac laughs, practically throwing himself forward into a deep kiss with Jasper, Jasper laughing as he catches him, hand on his lower back, keeping close as they fall into deep kisses. 

\- inside the house - 

Riley looks up as Jack knocks on the door, wiggling into a fancy outfit that was still warm. “Do I look good?”

“You look great, Riles,” he says, smiling softly. 

“Okay, they’re being weird right? Like I know they’re usually in a love bubble but like today especially right?”

“Maybe they just need to let off steam. You know, leave them alone for a night.”

“Oh come on, it’s gotta be more than that. Dressed nice, all curled up into each other. They keep giving each other these weird looks.” 

Jack laughs. “They just get like that sometimes. I don’t know… there’s things about their relationship I’ll never know. And that’s okay, it’s between them. So yeah, their weird bursts of affection are suspicious, but we might never know  _ why.  _ We don’t have to. I mean, think about that new boy you like. If you date him, you want me to know every joke between you two?”

“I guess not.”

“Same with them. They just got things between them that neither you nor I know or understand.”

“Fair.” She nods, fixing her sweater. “They’d tell us if something was actually wrong, right? Or if something really good happens?”

Jack hesitates before nodding. “I think so… I don’t think Mac would hide anything from us without reason. Now lets go before they both come looking for us because we made them late to Mac’s favorite restaurant. Jasper would actually do anything to avenge our boy, even if it’s over a steak.” 

She laughs, grabbing her nice purse, sticking her wallet and phone in it before following Jack downstairs, the two standing in the elevator down, Riley leaning against the railing. “Do you like it here?” Jack asks after a minute.

“Huh?”

“Do you like it here?”

“I mean, I don’t think I’d be here still if I didn’t.”

“Yeah but… is it a… I could stay here forever kind of like it, or a I’m going to go back to California and visit for a weekend once a year kind of like it?”

Riley blinks, her hands gripping her golden clutch. She hadn’t thought about it, if she wanted to stay here forever. It had become so homelike to her, so routine feeling, that leaving didn’t occur to her until now. 

“I… I don’t know, honestly,” she tells Jack. “I really like it here.”

“But…”

“What job would I do? I don’t have a degree, I have a criminal background… like a really bad criminal background.” 

“Jasper can fix it for you,” Jack says with full confidence. 

“I can’t take advantage of him like that.”

“It’s not taking advantage Riley. He wants to help you as much as anyone else here.”

“Yeah but it just feels inappropriate to ask him to clear my record and find a job for me. Besides, what does that say about me?”

“He doesn’t have to do it for you, I’m just saying he can help you.”

“Where would I live?”

“Don’t you like livin with us?”

“Yeah but… You don’t think I’m in the way of their lives? I mean they only have three bedrooms and I’m staying where Frankie normally stays apparently-”

“You know Mac likes you being there, right?” The elevator stops, the door opens. “Goin down,” he tells the couple there, and they nod, waving him off. He clicks the button to close the elevator, and they stand in silence for a moment. “He really likes you bein here, I mean the other night he was just sayin how he likes that you’re here, and it feels like you’re a lot closer.”

“I don’t think I understand most of the jokes him and Jasper make, and I only see him when he’s not at work-”

“That’s how life is,” he teases. 

“I see Jasper more than I see him.”

“And he’s crazy about that.”

“Do you think he’d want me to stay?”

“I don’t think he’d say no,” Jack says. “If he does I’ll hit him for you.”

Riley laughs, the door opening to the lobby. They step out, Riley’s beige turtleneck glistening with the fancy light. She looks out at the Vessel, looks around the lobby. It was all so high scale, and so dazzling, and a little too unlike Mac. Too many people, too little privacy, she thinks of the 3 bedroom penthouse, the open concept, the limited space that was in every room except his own. It was compact, it was cozy. Mac really loved his arm chair with his view. 

They walk out to the car, finding Jasper had moved the car to in front of the building, the two in the car, Jasper singing at the top of his lungs to Mac, who was laughing, happy. 

“Hey come on, we gotta go before traffic catches up again,” Mac says, hand out the window. They climb into the back of the car, Jack leaning over. 

“We got time to stop for coffee?”

“You’re  _ joking _ right?”

“No, I think a good cup of coffee sounds extra good right now.”

“I think that my date with a steak and a raw bar sounds extra good right now.”

“I think you didn’t know what a raw bar is before you met old money over here.”

“New money, I’m a broad, red blooded American man, my money was handed to me by Big Pharma not Queen Elizabeth,” Jasper cuts in.

“And other Americans?” Jack queries.

“Purple blood, purple as a ube yam.”

“A  _ what _ ?”

“Ube yam, purple sweet potato? Tastes like super good, it’s a lot like tarro, like the bubble tea? Kinda Caramel-y?”

“Babe, I hate to break this to you but I don’t think Jack cares.”

“Okay, so is that a no on the coffee? Because we just passed a few great coffee shops-”

“Jack if I miss my reservation and don’t get-”

“Sweetheart, love of my life, this car is not stopping unless a light is red, so you don’t have to worry.  _ And  _ he’s just doing it to see you freakout.”

“Okay but we all need to understand how detrimentally important this steak is to me.”

“More important than me?” Jasper says, faking a pout, Riley laughs, watching the two. Mac’s eye roll is palpable in the air. 

“Eyes on the road not me.”

“You’re mad at Jack, not me!”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“You  _ sound  _ mad at me.”

“Jasper Macgyver-Sheriff-”

“Oooooo he whipped out the full time,” Riley says, watching from the back seat. “That means you’re in trouble.”

“Nobody is in trouble.”

“He’s hangry,” Jack jokes. “Should step on it a little so he can get his dinner and be happy Mac again.”

“I’m driving the legal speed limit, I’m not speeding.”

“Maybe I should drive home, I know how to press the gas.”

“You’re not driving home.”

Mac closes his window, shivering a little, taking Jaspers warm arm and hugging it to his body. Riley had always known Mac to run cold, so she wasn’t surprised.

“Seriously man, a raw bar?”

“Are we really going back to this?” Mac snaps.

“Man, I remember when you thought Coors Light was a delicacy.”

“I was  _ twenty one.  _ I didn’t know better.”

“Honey, love of my life, Angel, Darling,” Jasper intervenes. “You have always had the cheapest taste in Alcohol and you cannot deny that fact.”

“Okay but-”

“If I didn’t pick out the drinks you consume, you would still be putting trash in your body, and not that Bozer wasn’t trying his best, but as we age, our metabolism changes!”

“Babe-”

“And just because it’s from the local grocery store, you don’t know where that’s from! Do you even know what comes in most commercial bags of chips?”

“Why are we having this conversation?” Riley asks, Jasper turning left, slamming the horn at a guy who almost runs the light. 

“Because, Mac thinks he had a vital diet before he met me, which let’s be real honest, he did not.”

“I ate vegetables.”

“They weren’t even organic.”

“Okay but-”

“How do you expect to reap any benefits if they’re just covered in chemicals, or wax-”

“Wax?” Jack asks.

“Most apples that are non organic are covered in wax to preserve them.”

“Are you joking?”

“No.”

“Wha-”

“That’s why I always buy them as fresh as possible. You can’t have an apple dipped in wax if it’s farm fresh.”

“How do you know that though?” Riley challenges

“Wax doesn’t grow with the apple.”

“What if they dip it on the tree?”

“What if you go and do the grocery shopping to find out, Riley.”

“I could so do your grocery shopping.”

“No you can’t, he’s very personal about it,” Mac says. 

“I could.”

“Stubborn, Stubborn, just like your brother,” Jasper teases, pulling into the valet parking area with two minutes to spare. They hand over the car, Mac holding Jaspers arm as Jasper makes sure they won’t scratch the car or do anything to the car. Riley goes inside with Jack, holding his arm as they ask for their table under Jaspers name.

“I know Mr. Sheriff, and you don’t look like him,” the host says. 

“He’s outside. We’re the rest of his party.” 

The man is about to speak when Jasper walks in with Mac. “you got the table?” he asks, Mac smiling as he steps behind Riley. 

“Working on it,” she says, setting the man with a hard look, crossing her arms. The host nods, leading them to the table Mac prefers and Riley hums. “I want the corner table.”

The host looks at Mac who nods. “Sounds good to me. You should give us the last corner booth.”

They get the booth, Mac and Jasper waiting for Riley to pick her seat, Jack talking the seat in the booth beside her. They take the two chairs, a waiter coming over with water. 

“Jasper is a bit of a big deal here,” Jasper mutters to Riley.

“Why?”

“I know the owner, he has me on a list of high importance or something.”

Riley nods. “Pays to be rich.”

“Just pays to know people, babe. I could help you get your way up there, if that’s what you want.”

“Oh- well, I’d have to think about it,” she says. 

“Doors are always opening, just have to walk through.”

“That’s what they say, isn’t it?”

“No, just me,” Jasper deadpans and Riley looks at Mac who shakes his head, looking at the menu. 

“Don’t scare Riley, she won’t come back.”

“We don’t bully her enough, she’s getting out of hand.”

Riley looks at them wide eyed, Jasper cracking up when he sees her face. “Oh my god Riley, relax, I’m just teasing you.”

“Florida Rock Shrimp?” Mac suggests, Jack nodding along. 

“They have clams,” Jack points out.

Jaspers nose scrunches up. 

“You don’t like clams?”

“Slimy.”

“You love the lobster tail here,” Mac points out, looking to his husband and nudging his shoulder to Jaspers. 

“I do, so the Florida Rock Shrimp and the Lobster Tail?”

“I want the caviar,” Riley says, being coy, trying to see if Jasper will bend to it- Except Jasper is Jasper, and so he just nods eagerly. 

“Sure, I mean I’ve had better, obviously. But it’s not like you know, the best.”

“I was kidding,” she says, eyeing the price.

“Why? The tab’s on me, get what you won’t, don’t look at the price.”

“This wine looks good,” Mac says, specifically looking at a french wine and Jasper hums in agreement. “See? I have expensive taste.”

“No, you just picked the median.”

Mac sulks, the waiter coming back to take their drink orders, Jasper getting two wines and placing an order for the appetizers. 

“We should lie, say it’s Riley’s birthday,” Mac says.

“Why?” she asks.

“Because it’s always fun to watch someone have a whole restaurant staff sing to them while they get super embarrassed.” 

“So why don’t we say it’s  _ your  _ birthday.”

“Because they know my birthday,” Mac says.

“It’s true, I special ordered a chocolate cake, and we had a bunch of friends join us. The restaurant was totally full. You guys were invited but you went on an op, I don’t know if you remember,” Jasper recalls, and Riley does remember, remembers Mac texting he wished they were there for his birthday, sending pictures of him celebrating.

“I remember. I was super jealous that I had to be on a plane to an Op in Nairobi. Jasper was wearing that really nice purple suit jacket that matched your shirt.”

Mac smiles. “Yeah, it was a really good color on you,” Mac aims at Jasper, smoothing down the jacket he was currently wearing. “We had an amazing champagne. Do you remember?”

“I remember. You had almost the entire bottle.” 

“I couldn’t help it, it was so good.”

Jasper smiles, kissing his cheek. “Such a drunk sometimes.”

“You love me anyways.”

“We should’ve gotten champagne.”

“The wine you got is just as special.”

“Is it?”

“I think it is.”

This goes on for most of dinner, Mac and Jasper lightly bickering, holding hands under the table, sharing plates. Mac, as Jasper told her over the weekend, doesn’t finish his food and ends up taking most of it home. Then once he’s in his pajamas and on the counter watching Jasper decorate cupcakes. He digs into his lobster mac and cheese, watching Jasper pipe flower cupcakes for a little girls birthday party on Thursday. 

She sits in the kitchen with them, instead of alone in the living room, she finds out that she really likes Jaspers stories, and how he describes the customers Mac never gets to meet during the day as he pipes the flowers. He mixes colors and makes each one as unique as possible, Mac at ease to watch him.

“Want a bite?”

“I’m okay babe.”

“Oo do the pink and blue next.”

“What kind of flowers?”

“The rose ones.”

Jasper smiles, kissing Mac before he starts the next set of frosting. Riley got a messed up cupcake, dented on the side, and Jasper frosted it especially for her. She enjoys it, curled up on the chair.

“Would you mind if I stayed?”

“Stayed where?”

“Here?”

“At the table?”

She laughs. “I meant just like… in general, at the house with you guys.”

“Were you leaving anytime soon?” Jaspers asks, smiling that ever gentle smile of his. 

“Well… no, but I do have to leave eventually.”

“You don’t have to leave. That’s your choice, and if you want to stay here with me and Mac well… I wouldn’t mind. Mac?”

“I don’t mind,” Mac says. 

She nods, smiling. 

“Is it because you met the hot guy?” 

“What? No! There’s nothing between me and that guy.”

“Why? If I were you, I’d have rode his abs already,” Mac informs deligently, taking a pointed bite of creamed spinach, Jasper snorting.

“I didn’t want to know that, ever.”

“I think what Mac is  _ trying  _ to say is that it wouldn’t hurt to get yourself out there. Go to a club, or on a date- they have this speed dating thing at one of the cafes in brooklyn-”

“Now why do you know that?”

“Because I’m involved with my community, and also my lovely husband has office hours in my bakery apparently.”

Mac snorts. “Not my fault you chose to have a public business where my students can find me.”

“All I’m saying is that sweetheart, you could really try and put yourself out there more. Your pretty, you’re young, you have really nice boobs-”

“You’re  _ gay _ ,” Riley says. 

“Doesn’t change the fact that your boobs are nice.”

“And that means?”

“You can get anyone you want, sister. Get out there, go get laid. Be a bit of a hoe. Drink with some girls you’ve never met before.”

“That sounds like a lot of socializing.”

Jasper takes a deep breath, sighing. “I forgot all your friends are as anti-social as you are.”

“I’m not anti-social.”

“When’s the last time you went out with your friends?”

“How does this become a ‘find a problem with Mac’ conversation? When’s the last time  _ you  _ went out with friends?”

“We went out-”

“Without me,” Mac says. Jaspers brow furrows.

“Okay fine, anyways, Mac is going to take you clubbing tomorrow night.”

“Excuse me?”

“Fine, your favorite brother is taking you clubbing and you’re going to get laid.”

“What if I don’t want to get laid?”

“Then you’re going to get hammered.”

“And you’re going to?”

“Regulate. Be your driver. Pretend to be your boyfriend if I have to.”

“Huh… you know, if I’m going to a club, I want to have fun.”

“I’m fun! Aren’t I fun? I’m so fun.”

“He’s very fun,” Mac promises. 

“Your definition of fun with him is not valid nor anything I want to know about.”

“Why? I once had a 20 minute orgasm, so unless you can find someone that fun-”

Jasper sticks a forkful of steak in his mouth. “You’re not allowed more than 2 glasses of wine from now on. I didn’t mean  _ that  _ kind of fun.”

Mac focuses on chewing his steak. Riley laughs. “He was kiding about the 20 minute orgasm right?”

Jasper raises a very dangerous, unamused brow and Riley pretends to zip her lips and throw out the zipper. “You’re not getting a clubbing day with us.”

“Okay cool, privileges revoked. Should I go to my room too?”

“Just go put a movie on for lightweight.”

“Not a lightweight.”

“Two glasses of wine babe.”

“Not drunk, just tired.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jasper whispers, taking the plate from Mac. 

“Hey…”

Riley laughs. “He looks half asleep.”

“I don’t know the science, but tired and alcohol is nooooot good,” he informs. 

“It is very cute though, now follow Riley to the living room and watch a movie.”

\- the Next Day, NYU University - 

Mac is walking down the hall towards his office when he passes Melville’s office, one of his friends, Jeremy Diamond, shared the office, their door open, he can hear them speaking as he passes.

“Mac!” Jeremy calls, walking out. “I heard you were going out with Thomas this weekend?” 

“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe, he got this great reservation to this exclusive restaurant. I have no idea how he did it,” Mac says, Jeremy walking him in. 

“So I should give you the extra large mug of coffee.”

“Why? I’ve always been friends with Thomas.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t invite just anyone out to dinner, plus you were just nominated as best faculty member by the student paper. They wrote an amazing piece about you, and the school president  _ really  _ relies on those when looking at tenure track positions.” 

Melville looks between them. “Thomas, as in… the Dean of Sciences?”

“Yeah, good guy,” Mac says. “His wife is really charming, she likes Jasper because he gives her really good baking recipes.”

“Well, if anyone is going to like Jasper it should be for the steak he makes, not the baked goods. What was that french steak with the sauce?”

“Uhh steak with a sauce?” Mac asks. “I have no idea, that’s his speciality, not mine.”

Jeremy fills the mug and puts some cream into the mug. Mac smiles, taking a seat. “What are you working on this semester?”

“We’re continuing the initiative with biodiversity in everyday life and how it can reduce emissions in the area. We’re working with moss right now, and testing how just putting a few patches on the curbs and around trees can help. Measuring the air quality per day.”

“Wow,” Mac says. “I’m not doing anything that cool.”

“I heard they gave you a lab group this semester and some grad students?”

“Yeah they did, they read my dissertation and well, I don’t teach grad classes but I get to help with the lab. Some of the Physics II are interested in Theoretical, and they wanted me to lead a Theoretics club if they made one. I let them stay late a few nights, as long as they got back to their dorms, and we did a bunch of theoretical problems.” 

“So you don’t have your own lab?” Melville asks.

“Do you?” Jeremy shoots.

“I manage my own group, and they’re amazing,” Mac fills in. “And, I’m curious, do you have a group? Are you helping with Jeremy’s group?”

“They said they wanted to wait a semester. That it’s just protocol.”

Mac nods, pursing his lips. “Sure.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Hey, uh, so I was thinking maybe we should get the rest of our group together, go out. I heard Helena broke up with her boyfriend, we could cheer her up.”

“Ooo like a teachers date,” Jeremy says. “Should I bring my boyfriend?”

“No way, we should totally do like no significant others, go to a dive bar, get some drinks, have dessert that Jasper wouldn’t approve of.”

He laughs. “Oh so the worst of the worst.”

“Exactly. Nothing super fancy, just casual.”

They both look at Melville and Jeremy smiles awkwardly. 

“You should come too, if you’re free,” Mac extends. 

“Oh uh… sure, if I can make time.”

“Make time?” Jeremy asks. “Mr. Popular.”

Mac smiles, hugging the mug to his chest. He nudges Jeremy’s leg. “Walk with me, I have office hours and some students are expecting me.”

Melville watches the two leave, Jeremy following Mac to his office. “That was the right thing to do right?”

“Only to make you feel better.”

Mac sighs, knocking on Helena’s office door. “How’d you know I was in here?” She asks.

“Because this is your hiding hour since I met you after my first interview.”

She laughs. “What’s up?”

“Heard you and your boyfriend broke up.”

“Yeah, but…” she waves her hand. “There’s other things I need to do.”

“Liiiike go to a dive bar with us on Saturday.”

“So I can watch you all canoodle with your cute boyfriends and girlfriends and husband, in your case.”

“No, we’re going out, no significant others. Just friends.”

“Oh!” she says, holding up the student paper. “Students love you. You’re our new tenure, I can feel it.”

“He invited Melville,” Jeremy says and she makes a face. 

“Why?”

“He was sitting there, what was I supposed to do?”

“Ignore him. He’s an ass. I heard he slept with a student at his last school.” 

Mac makes a face, hugging his mug to his chest with his left hand. “Well… rumors are just rumors, it doesn’t hurt to give him a chance. Guys like him are just… scared, lonely.”

“They think too much of themselves, Macho Men can’t be changed.”

“His hearts too good, Lena. We’ll just have to wait and see though, right? Maybe Mac has a good intuition or something.”

“I’m not defending him, I’m just saying maybe we should give him a chance. Besides, I really doubt he’ll show up anyways.”

Helena sticks the paper in his hands. “Dedication to his friends and family that spills over to the tender care of his students. Anyone who’s had him knows that he will care for his students like his own, and will do anything to ensure their success.”

“What?”

“That’s what it says about you.”

“Oh,” Mac says, looking down, and he finds a picture of him and Rebecca from her graduation on the open page. He did miss Rebecca, she was his favorite student that year, she fit three of his classes into her last semester, even if it cost her extra, went to his office hours, his late night theoreticals. She understood them, she was so bright. 

Now she was doing grad school in Italy, or that’s what she’d told him. She’d emailed him just a week before Riley came over. 

“Students come and go, it’s like foster kids,” Helena says. “Learned that in my 5 years here.”

“Yeah… I don’t know… I guess Jasper and I have just been thinking about getting kids, so… I don’t know.”

“Awwwh you guys are so goals,” Jeremy says, Mac smiling. He takes a sip of his coffee, looking at his watch. “Oh he has office hours.”

“So go, you’re ruining my focus,” Helena says, stopping Mac to take a sip then shooing them out. 

Mac and Jeremy walk to his office. “So is this like… a secret?”

“Yes, and Jasper and I said we wouldn’t talk about it, but… I don’t know I just I had to tell someone.”

“You know, the agencies tend to be really prejudice.”

“Yeah but… we have a great lawyer, really speeds the process up. Our applications are like top priority.”

“Just because Jasper has some money? Damn.”

“Hey hey hey, my husband is a very important man. He knows a lot of important people.”

“Like the president?”

“Something like that. And I do too, mind you, I worked for the CIA as a think tanker.”

“Right, you two were involved in the government… Spies.”

“Shhh that’s a secret too, remember?” Mac plays along, everyone makes the joke but nobody ever believes it, or means it. 

“I remember,” he teases. “You two would make romantic spies. I can just see it, broad suits, kissing in Paris after gunning down a few people.”

“Is that what spies do? Gun down a few people, kiss in Paris?”

“Did you know any real spies?”

“How do you know I wasn’t one?”  
“You’re like the nicest guy ever. Just because you have biceps, doesn’t mean I can pin you for someone who breaks the espionage act by… going to France to collect secrets or something.”

Mac laughs. “I’m glad you think I’m such a stellar guy,” Mac says, rounding his corner to the large office they gave him, finding 6 or 7 students waiting there. Amongst them being Lauren and Collin. They were all talking amongst themselves, Lauren and Collin were sharing a sandwich. “Well don’t we have a crowd. Professor Diamond, for those of you who don’t know him, is a biology professor. He’s going to be joining us today in my office.”

“Did you see the article?” Lauren asks, holding up her own copy of the student paper. “You look soooo good in this picture.”

Mac laughs. “I did.” He shows his own copy that Helena had gave him just moments ago. “What do you think? Am I your favorite professor?”

“You totally are mine,” Collin says, taking a bite out of his sandwich. A few of the other students chime in, everyone filing into his office. 

“Okay, let’s split everyone up please. Physics two, back corner, Physics one up here at this desk, eat on the desk please or else you’re scrubbing the carpets,” he warns his two studnets. “Calculus students over here. Grad students who just want to hang out, help the other students.” He points to Santiago and Sabrina. 

“I had a question,” Sabrina says. 

“We’ll talk in a minute, lets just get the students working, yeah?”

“Of course, yeah,” She says. 

\- The Petite Triumph Bakery - 

“Riley, go to the cabinet and grab the piping bottles. They’re clear plastic bottles with piping tips. Yeah? We’re going to make royal icing, and we’re going to start piping cookies. Jack, I need you to keep front.”

“Hey uh… so, not a critique, but are we going to hire other people?” Riley asks. 

“When I find a need, I will hire people.”

“Is there not a need?”

“Do I seem to be spiraling?”

“Just always a little tense. It’d help, don’t you think? You always function like you’re alone. You don’t have to be menial.”

Jasper smiles. “Not menial, just don’t need extra people, untrained people getting in my way.”

“I’m untrained.”

“I like you. And you, I know, I can train.”

“Other people are trained, other people can help.”

“I’m not… professionally trained. But I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re afraid someone will tell you that you’re wrong?”

“I’m afraid that people will see their training as a reason to disrespect me. This is my passion, and I don’t want my passion to become something I have to… feel bad about or stress over.”

“You do what you do really well,” Riley says, handing him the bottles. Jasper smiles, filling them with each with a frosting. “What are you doing?”

“For that girls party tomorrow, she wanted flower shaped cookies, decorated of course. And well, kids like sugar cookies.”

“Who does a birthday party on a thursday?”

“Oh it’s a school birthday, you know, they throw the kids parties during snack time or something. It’s a private school, so fancy well paid parents want the best stuff for their kids.”

“Right,” she says. 

“So these are sugar cookies, the decorating kind. There are different kinds of sugar cookies, lofthouse style, puffed up and flaky, or these, which are almost butter cookies but not quite. Great for frosting. So the trick is to use royal icing, it stays really well. And,” he holds up a small bottle, “these small tips here, are really good for detailing.”

“Why do you use bottles for cookies?”

“It’s easier on my wrists than piping, and it’s also nicer to use for beginners. Piping bags can really suck to use.”

She nods. “Does that mean…”

“You’re helping? Yes. I’ll show you how though, it’s pretty simple.”

“Okay…”

“Don’t be nervous.”

“I won’t, I can so do this.”

Jasper nods, and shows her how to do it. They spend the whole day piping the flowers, Jasper showing her how to delicately handle the cookies, how to mix the colors, how to make each one unique. Once the frosting is dry, he embellishes with sparkles that he dusts on or a bit of paint onto the lines. 

Riley is so proud of the ones she made, Jasper taking pictures of the cookies to send to Mac. The family picks them up just before closing, Jasper giving them in beautiful boxes, glad to see the excitement on the little girls face. Riley sees a bit of sadness in his smile, but she doesn’t question him, Jasper flipping the sign delicately, saying they’re closed. Mac is just making his way down the stairs, Jasper sticking himself in the doorway, tilting the door open. 

“We’re closed sir.”

“Oh you can’t make for one more poor customer?”

“No, I’m sorry, but I’ve sold the last drip of coffee.”

“You can’t spare even one more cup?”

Riley looks up, not sure who he’s talking to, but then she sees Mac and softens, Jasper totally softened, eyes sparkling with love for him, his tone almost flirty. 

“No I’m sorry, we’re out for the day.” 

“But what will a poor, hard working man like myself do now?”

“Well, I suppose maybe… I could make an exception.”

“I’d really appreciate it. Then perhaps I’ll tell you all about my day.”

“And what an honor? Handsome man like yourself must live such an adventurous life.”

“More than the average man I do think.”

Jasper laughs, pushing the door open and Mac steps forward, kissing Jasper happily, leaning into his chest. “I missed you,” Jasper says, smiling softly.

“Yeah? Looks like you and Riley had a lot of fun.”

“We did, she did quite the work on those cookies.”

“I saw. Riley, I think we have to keep you,” Mac says coming inside.

“No coffee, it’ll ruin your appetite. Jack roasted some chicken and made creamed corn.”

“Ugh, I love Jacks creamed corn.”

“So, no coffee.”

Mac nods, hugging Riley to his side. “Did you have a good day, Riles?”

“I did. It was really nice. I learned how to pipe with royal frosting.”

“Well how on earth can we ever give you back? Riley you’re obliged to stay.” 

She smiles, kissing his cheek. The two help clean up, and go home together. Mac drives them home, Jasper laying down in the back seat. They get home, eat dinner like they always do, this time in Jacks apartment. Riley stays to watch a movie, Mac and Jasper go home. 

“Shower with me?” Mac whispers. Jasper smiles, kissing him. “You tired?”

“Exhausted… I did 45 cookies today besides all of our normal stuff.”

“Oh honey. Well… I can give you a nice massage in the shower.”

“Ugh, that sounds great.” 

Mac smiles, the two going upstairs, trudging up each step slowly, Mac holding up Jasper. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I was so worried about not finishing that order.”

Mac pouts, rubbing his chest. “Well you got it done, you can rest easy all night.”

Jasper smiles, kissing him, Mac leaning against the bannister, holding him up by the back. “I get to little spoon.”

“You get to little spoon.”

Jasper moans, the tension melting off his shoulders as Mac rolls the pointy massage roller over the center of his back. “Right there is good?”

“Mmhmm…”

“So I was thinking about what you said yesterday-”

“What did I say yesterday?”

“About how I haven’t really hung out with any of my friends…”

“I didn’t mean that. You’re really busy-”

“And on the weekends?”

“We have chores and stuff.”

“Are we just making excuses not to see other people? I mean we like other people.”

“We do like other people,” Jasper says, turning around to look at Mac.

“Wasn’t done massaging.”

“Mac I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“I don’t… I just, Riley thinks I have codependency issues, and I do… I think, I do. I cling to you a lot, I don’t go out unless you’re there. I just… I don’t know, I was thinking of going out this weekend.”

“So go out, have fun.”

“But I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll have something to do, I always do.”

“Saturday, we’re taking Helena out. She’s going through a breakup.”

“Sad. Well, go out, get drunk, call me if you need a ride.”

Mac kisses him. “You’re okay with this?”

“I could use a day without you anyways.”

“Really?”

“I won’t miss you.”

“I believe you.”

“Besides I’ll have you all day.”

“Oh, dirty. You know Riley lives here right?”

“Do you think she’s serious?”

“About what?”

“Staying…”

Mac hesitates, putting the massage roller back and grabbing the soap to rub them down. “I don’t know.”

“Be honest, do you want her to?”

“Yeah I do… but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

Jasper nods, kissing him. He rests his head on Macs shoulder, Mac hugging him. “I invited Melville to the Saturday thing.”

“You’re going to make yourself cry.”

“That’s the goal baby.”

\- Friday Night, The Petit Triumph Bakery - 

Riley looks up as the door opens, smiling as she sees Chance walk through. “Where’s all the people?”

“They disappear when Jasper Sheriff disappears.”

“Where is he?”

“Out to dinner with his husband.”

“Nice guys.”

“Yeah… they’re worth the love.”

“So… there’s no one here, it’s 40 minutes until closing.”

“Right…”

“Would you rather close up early?”

“And do what exactly?”

“Well… there's a dinner reservation at 9 PM that I made. Table for 2 but I didn’t want to dine alone tonight.”

“So…”

“So if you give me your address, I’ll pick you up. We can go to dinner.”

Her heart jumps into her throat, and she leans into the counter thinking. “Uhm.. Well-”

“Come on, just be bad. Close up, go to dinner with me.”

She nods. “Okay. Give me your phone.”

He hands it over and Riley gives him her number and sends her address as the first text. “Don’t be late,” she tells him. 

“I won’t be.”

“How nice should I dress?”

“5 star restaurant.”

“5 star dress then?”

“Why not…”

She smiles, following her out and turning the sign, watching him lean against the door. “You can have the last cup of coffee if you want… before you go.”

She gets home, and finds the door unlocked, walking in and there’s chatter and laughter. Did Mac and Jasper move their party over to the apartment? Would Jasper be angry she closed early?

She walks in and there’s Jack with a group of people she only vaguely recognized before realizing it’s Jaspers team.

“Riley!” Kaori cheers, standing up. “Jack said you wouldn’t be home for hours. So, we’re in for the weekend, and well, I know Mac is busy tomorrow, but how does Sunday sound?”

“For what? Did Jasper know you were coming?”

“Oh no, we just finished an op, and we were around, so we’re going to stay for the weekend.”

“Oh- so… what’s Sunday?”

“A party,” Kaori says. “I think that Jasper and Mac need a little, relief. They’re so busy. Are you accommodating well? Maybe we should go shopping.”

“I would love to go shopping.”

“Good.”

“Why you home so early?” Jack asks.

“A friend I made stopped by and-”

“Chance?”

“Oh… Well-”

“Chance, who’s chance?” Mel asks.

“He’s a guy, he’s taking me out to dinner tonight.”

Kaori’s eyes shimmer. “Let me help you get ready. Please? I love a makeover.”

Riley laughs. “Sure. I’d love the help.” She walks past Jack, rubbing his shoulder. “He’s a good guy, I promise.”

“I believe you.”

\- A Fancy Restaurant - 

“So,” Thomas asks, leaning forward. “What do you feel about Melville?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, he seems a little odd. Are you guys getting along with him?”

“He’s a bit of a loner,” Mac says, looking at Jasper as he laughs along with the Dean’s wife. “He doesn’t… talk much to us.”

“Really?”

“I know he has a bit of a… reputation. But-”

“What’s the reputation?”

“I… oh well, that he’s just a bit of a loner.”

“I heard you were having trouble with him.”

“I think he’s just having trouble adjusting. He was close with a lot of people at his last school.”

“Especially the students.”

“Oh… uh-”

“Do you know anything about that? We only heard about it after.”

“I only heard people think he slept with one. But… I don’t know, sometimes people like to make stories.”

“Are you just saying this because I’m the Dean of Science?”

Mac shrugs. “I just… I know people had ideas about me when I started last year, and I just… that was hard for me. I invited him out with some of the other science professors tomorrow. Maybe he’ll be less… odd.”

Thomas nods, taking a sip of his drink. “He isn’t giving you trouble?”

“Honestly? He’s a bitch, but… I’m pretty good at making hell when I need to.”

“Don’t set the school on fire, and you can make all the hell you want.”

Mac laughs. “Glad to have your permission.”

Jasper looks over at him. “Do you want to pass by the bakery? I want to give Mrs. Thomas something.”

“Oh I don’t mind,” Mac says, kissing his hand. 

“So, do you ever want to teach again?” Mr. Thomas asks Jasper and he looks to Mac before looking to him.

“I uh… I don’t know. It hasn’t been long enough for me to really decide that. Why?”

“There’s a rumor that they want you back. The woman they hired is turning out to be a real ditz.”

“Hey- uhm,” Mac says. “How would we feel about a Theoretical physics club?”

“Oh! I love that idea. I heard the students love your Theoretical nights in the lab! They have such a good time.”

“I hope so. You know.. It really seems to be a hit, and well, they could say they participated in a club, which, that’s usually a problem for STEM students?”

“You really are a genius.”

“Glad you think so.”

Getting home, the two open to find a party raging inside. Riley is on the couch in the nicest clothes, Chance next to her, the two laughing together. 

“Wow, did we miss something?” Jasper asks, the tire running from his eyes. He practically leaps forward into Julius’ arms. Julius laughs, hugging him close.

“Only the best dinner ever. Chance here says it was better the 5 star dinner he planned.”

“The menu was?”

“Marinated beef, my shanghai noodles, and some other very delicious things.”

“Ugh, I wish we hadn’t gone to dinner,” Jasper teases.

“That sounds amazing but we ate until we were ready to burst. I feel like I should’ve wore sweats.”

“The Thomas’ really know how to eat. I thought Mac had the stomach of a Gilmore Girl, but you should see them eat.”

“Three appetizers,” Mac complains, Mel laughing. 

“You poor things.”

“2 rounds of dessert,” Jasper tells them, leaning his head on Julius who smiles, rubbing his back. 

“Awful, you’ll have to work out double.”

“We’re throwing a party on Sunday,” Kaori fills in. “It’s going to be great, I’ve already started inviting people.”

“Where?”

“Here. Music and drinks and all of our friends.”

“Really?”

“Food like you’ve never seen.”

“Sure.”

“And we’re going to have the greatest time.”

“I’ll text Frankie and Smitty, and Charlie- oh man, do you think Charlie can fly out?”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

“We should invite the rest of your team,” Julius says. “Don’t you think they’d like to come?”

Mac looks to Riley who nods.

“I think they’re dying to be here,” She assures Mac who smiles.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to text them to. Won’t I?”

“I guess you will.”

Over the next day, they invite everyone they know to the party. Jasper, Jack, and his family cooking all day. Riley and Kaori go out shopping, Riley pausing in the mirror. Kaori and Jasper were made of the same material, where if you were out with her, everything was taken care of. 

Something about her had the same class and poise as Jasper. She took care of everything with a delicate power. Then went home and Mac was running downstairs, certain he was late to his outting. He has the invitations he’d drawn up earlier that day, and Jasper offers him a taste of something before he leaves.

“Are you sure you want me to go? There’s so much to do-”

“Mac, Angel, I’m going to be okay? There’s like thirty of us right now.”

Mac smiles, hesitating. “I can cancel.”

“It’s going to be okay. Go, have fun. Call me if you’re too drunk to get home.”

“Okay, thank you babe. My uber is downstairs,” he says softly. They kiss and Jasper shoos him off. 

“You should see the light fixtures that Mac made,” he tells the girls as he enters the living room, Kaori holding up what she bought him. 

“I got Mac something but he was in a rush,” Riley says.

“He’s going to love it either way,” Jasper promises, Kaori already tugging off his button up for him to try what she bought. Jasper lets her, tries it on and poses. She laughs, clapping joyfully. “Do I look good?”

“You look amazing! Never better.”

“All your fabulous taste.”

She kisses his cheek and calls Mel to come look. Mel fawns over him, and Riley smiles. For a second her heart breaks, they never treated Mac like that, nobody ever fawned over him, they never bought him things and made him try it on. This was a regular occurrence for Jasper, and even if a tad embarrassed, they were so happy to see him like something they bought. 

“That’s such a gorgeous color for you,” Riley says.

“Thank you,” he says, admiring the material and the shirt. It was a sparkly blue see through shirt, it showed off his tattoos perfectly. “Style it right, and I’ll be the real crowd pleaser.”

“You always are,” Kaori says. 

\- The Party -

The lights were pulsing with the beat of each song, switching to the colors they programmed. It was loud, and the base could be felt vibrating through the house. The team was dispersed, Jasper busy hosting, Mac greeting people, offering them drinks. Julius and Mel were entertaining a group of people. Kaori was making sure everyone was comfortably set up, that their drinks were made, the food was good, the plates were filled, the hookahs were hot. 

“Mac!” Frankie calls as he makes his rounds by the door.

“Frankie!” he cheers, pulling her into a tight hug. “Look at you! You look… you look hot!”

“Not bad yourself! Powder blue is a really good color for you.”

“I’m matching Jasper, except he gets all the sex appeal,” he teases, beaming as Smitty walks in, Mac and him hugging it out. “Come on, let’s get you guys some drinks.”

“We have to catch up, the semester has been so busy.”

“It has been. I have to tell you something later…”

“I can’t wait,” She promises, smiling. 

He leads her to the table with the drinks, Frankie telling him about her dissertation, and Mac listens, easily lending his ear to her. Jasper coming over to them, grabbing Mac by the hips. 

“Hey stranger, long time no see!”

“Right? We’re busy up in Boston.”

“You sure you’re not snowed in all the way up there.”

“Haha, you think you’re not the better city but that’s all an illusion.”

Mac smiles, leaning into Jaspers hold. “She’s working on her dissertation, and it’s so cool.”

“I bet. Frankie is just a super genius.”

She beams, and Mac gets distracted as more people arrive, getting pulled away. 

Riley is on the other end of the room, looking for Chance, she smiles, amusing other peoples conversation, explaining her relationship to Mac. Her eyes land on Mac, being held by Jasper, moving from his hold to greet people he knew. So many loved him so deeply, were desperate for his attention. Jasper only seems to admire this about him, admire how well loved his husband was. 

“Riley!”

She turns around, expecting it to be Chance but it’s just Jack, holding up a plate for her. “You haven’t eaten all day.”

“Oh my goodness, thank you.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah… I just… seeing Jasper with his family,” she admits, shaking her head, “well it makes me feel like we’re bad friends.”

“What, why?”

“I don’t know… we never got him gifts, or threw parties because we wanted to.”

“Riley we took great care of each other, and just because it doesn’t look the way that they take care of each other, doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.”

She nods, looking at Mac, leaning on the couch, beautiful as ever, wishing she had a picture of him smiling so brightly, so happily. He’s talking to a group of people, entertaining their stories. He looks on them so brightly, they look so happy to talk to him, to know his stories. “Yeah… I don’t know, I just feel like I want to prove I’m the best sister he could ask for.”

“And you are.”

“So what is this? Another op?” Desi asks as they walk towards the building. “Who are we meant to be catching?”

“Nobody, it’s a party,” Matty says. “Our boy is throwing one, and we have an obligation to him to go.”

“So we’re going to a…. Party?”

“Yes.”

“A house party? Like we’re… teenagers or something?”

“You’ve never been to a party hosted by Jasper Sheriff. He’s the king of classy parties.”

Jasper raises his glass, joining a bunch of their friends in a cheer, listening to them as they listed things to cheer to, clinking their glasses to something new every sip. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this would be much more fun with Shot glasses!”

They all laugh, Mac coming forward with a fancy champagne. “Do we need refills?”

“Vodka would’ve been preferable love.”

“Well all I have is this champagne.”

Jasper laughs. “Well you start, pop it open and give something to cheer to.”

Mac hums, taking the champagne opener, some others gathering around them. “Glasses out, please.” They all oblige, Jasper holding him by the waist, his own glass out. “I would like to give my cheers to my wonderful and fabulous husband, who works so hard for everything we have, who lifts me when I’m down, who knows even my darkest secrets-” they awe, Riley joining the crowd around the group holding out their glasses. “When we got married your vows to me were taking me on lifes greatest adventure. So cheers to the greatest adventure, may we all find a partner to take it with.” He pops the champagne, everyone cheering. 

Some of the guys begin to sing a sea chantey, the champagne fizzing as it explodes from the bottle into the glasses, music playing loud. They laugh, Jasper taking him by the waist, pulling Mac into a kiss. “You’re my greatest adventure,” he says, Mac smiling, kissing him. They pull away, Jasper clinking his glass to the bottle and Mac takes a swig from it. 

“Wow I didn’t know you liked Champagne so much,” Charlie teases, Mac jumping a bit, turning around and beaming. 

“Charlie! You made it!”

“To the biggest party of the year? And it’s not even Christmas? Course I did.”

Mac laughs, Jasper going to talk to Julius, the party reaching its climax, people high on the Euphoria of the party, the drinks and the food, and the energy. 

They’re alone for a moment in the kitchen.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Julius says softly.

“Sure.”

“Mel is pregnant.”

“What?”

“Thats why she hasn’t been drinking all night-”

“Are you serious.”

“Yeah.”

Jasper nods before turning on his brightest smile. “That’s amazing,” he says softly. 

“It was totally an accident, but..”

Jasper doesn’t hear a single other word that comes out of Julius’ mouth, it felt like a big mistake. He knows logically that’s how it works. That accidental babies happen all the time. But it felt like the universe was playing a cruel trick on him. 

“Jazz… Jasper?” Julius asks, taking his arm gently.

“I’m sorry- I… Is it hot? It feels hot-”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I should- I’m going to go find Mac.”

“You should drink some water..”

Jasper shakes his head. “It’s just the heat from the stove, that’s all.”

“Jasper-”

Jasper hugs Julius tight. “You’re going to be the best dad. Now seriously, it’s hot in here. Come on, let’s go eat some cake!” 

The door opens as the rest of Macs team walks in and Jasper instantly struts over. “You made it! You know Mac is going to be so happy to see you,” he says fast, Bozer laughing.

“Where is he?”

Jasper looks to the newest team members and just nods, bringing them to where Riley was, her and Chance flirting in a corner. She looks up and squeals. “Bozer! Leanna!” she hugs them tight. “Chance, this is my other brother, Bozer, and his girlfriend Leanna. Guys this is my date for the night Chance.”

“Hopefully not just for the night.”

“Have you seen Mac?” Jasper asks.

“Oh I think he went upstairs or to the roof maybe?”

“So do you think it’ll happen? That you’ll get this baby?”

Mac shrugs, leaning closer to the fire before leaning back. “I have no idea… I just… I want to think it’ll work out.”

“Maybe it will,” she says. “Sometimes I think about adopting.”

“Why?”

She takes a deep breath. “I have a lot of good genes, my baby making genes aren’t the best ones…”

He nods, and the two take hands, Mac holding her hand close to his heart, sharing a heartbroken smile, they were always one in the same somehow. Jasper comes upstairs through the door. “Jess, come sit! Frankie says she knows a really good foster care company.”

“She does?”

“If it doesn’t work out, you can switch.”

Jasper nods, taking a deep breath, slowly calming down. “Your team is here.”

Mac nods. “Lets go downstairs, I feel like I haven’t seen Bozer in 3 lifetimes.”

She laughs. “Can you get a head start? We’ll be right there.”

“Uh yeah, don’t do anything dirty, it’s a public balcony.”

“Only if you promise not to bring Smitty up here later.”

“Hm.. No promises.”

They both laugh, Frankie going downstairs. Mac looks to Jasper. “What’s up?”

“Julius and Mel are having a baby.”

“O- _ oh _ . Uhm… That’s great. That is great right?”

“Yeah I just… I freaked out for a second and I feel like such an awful friend, I mean I didn’t freak out to his face, out loud, but I… I just, felt myself freak out. I mean, that’s awful right?”

“No… No it’s not awful,” Mac promises, taking Jasper into his arms, pulling him closer. “It’s harder for us, obviously. We don’t have all the parts, doesn’t mean that logical think out weighs the hurt of things like that. Still feels like we’re trying hard for our own…”

Jasper nods. He kisses him gently, petting his face. “Let’s not think about it,” Mac says. “Let’s just go downstairs, think about how good those sliders are. Because oh my god, they are so good.”

Jasper laughs, kissing Mac. “You always make me feel better.”

“Damn right, it’s my job baby.”

“What the hell are you hiding for?” he hears, Mac looking up from where he was coddled to Jasper. He laughs, walking over to Bozer. 

“Not hiding, just wanted a kiss before I came down.”

“You can kiss him all the time. He’s not special.”

Mac laughs. “You’re right, he’s not.”

They both laugh, pulling each other into a tight, friendly hug. Mac leads him downstairs, Jasper left upstairs alone for a moment. He looks around, crossing his arms a minute before turning off the fire in the pit that Mac started and grabbing the blanket him and Frankie were sitting on, folding it over his arm before returning downstairs, to their apartment and putting on his brightest smile. 

Nothing in the world matters too much anyways. 

\- The next Morning - 

“Jasper told me, about the baby. Congrats,” he says, handing Mel a little box.

“Is it my baby shower?”

“No, it’s just… a little something special, that’s all. Family Heirloom if you.”

She raises a brow, smiling, and opening the box to find a swiss army knife. She laughs, raising it. “A natural born Macgyver then?”

“Something like that.”

“And it’s brand new.”

“One step at a time, Jasper appreciates the genius that happens with that knife. So you gotta teach em young.”

She laughs, pulling Mac into a hug. “You’re so cute.”

“Status Update, I am so hung over I am seeing butterflies,” Bozer says, holding his head. Mac smiles, setting him down, going to grab him water.

“You’re going to be okay.”

“Yeah, not until we come back from Thanksgiving. Even Matty seems totally down.”

“Sugar carb hangover,” Mac teases. “That’s how I felt when I collapsed into bed.”

“What did Jasper say?” Mel asks.

“Nothing, he was dead asleep.”

She laughs, Julius coming in, cleaning up since the morning. He was the only one who was as spritely as when the party started. “Who was dead asleep?”

“Jasper.”

“Hey, was he okay last night? He was sort of whoozey when I last saw him.”

“Oh yeah, I think he just needed air. He overwhelmed himself I think,” Mac excuses, believably so. Julius nods, debating if he believes him. “Julius, he’s fine.”

“What do you mean he was whoozey?” Mel asks concerned.

“Kinda seemed sick.”

“I should make him soup. You all look sick as dogs, you all need soup.”

Mac laughs, rubbing his head a bit. He goes to help Julius clean up, Kaori coming in with Riley from the run they took together. “You good?”

“Little hung over.”

“It was so worth it,” Kaori says. He nods, smiling. 

“So you and chance?”

“Things are going good,” she says. Mac nods, smiling. “You and Jasper?”

“Oh I don’t know, I think I might have to dump him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he just has this awful habit of being too pretty. I just can’t stand that, you know?”

Riley shoves him, laughing. 

Mac sits with his team outside upstairs, the brisk October wind blowing hard against them so high up. Mac wraps a blanket around his shoulders, the team sitting in silence. 

“Do you think you’re coming with us?” Matty asks Riley. “We’re wheels up in 3 hours.”

Riley looks up, looking to Mac.

“Oh she can’t, she already has an obligation to fulfill next week.”

“Does she?”

“Yeah, she’s helping me with a class next Thursday. I need her here.”

Matty nods, eyes on Riley who stares into her glass. “Riley..”

“I think I should stay… I want to stay.”


	4. November pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Early November through Veterans Day!  
> A reaaaallly long chapter, the rest should be coming soon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SINCE SOME OF YOU WERE ASKING!   
> Here are my face claims for Zeus  
> Jasper: Jack Falahee (in this timeline leaning towards season 3 connor walsh, buff and handsome and very well groomed)   
> Mel: Alisha Wainwright   
> Julius: young Benjamin Bratt  
> Kaori: Park Shin-Hye

**\- November -**

Mac watches his dad, in the seat across from him on the plane, looking for a hotel to book in New York City, where the plane would lay over until the next day. He chews the pen he was holding, glancing up at him frequently. 

“What is it?” James finally asks, looking at Mac.

“Why haven’t you asked to stay over?”

“What?”

“Usually, when a parent who claims to like their kid, whether they actually like them or not, ask to stay over before booking their hotel. This is especially true if that kid is rich.” 

James laughs. “I don’t want to bother you… what with Riley being over and-”

“We have an extra room. I mean it’s a little small, but the sheets are clean, and we dust the room frequently. I vacuumed it before I left, I know that for a fact.”

“I don’t know…”

“Is it Jasper?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you not like Jasper?”

If James was honest, he thought his son getting married to that man was foolish. That once he was sated with his body, he’d leave him, realize his mistake, or errors. But he never did, he got married, and he left to New York, he got a big house. He took Jack Dalton with him, never asked James to go or to visit. He always had a suspicion that Jasper was perhaps the one holding Mac back from him, not inviting him over.

“I mean,” Mac goes on, “he asks about you all the time. Maybe I should’ve invited you over sooner but it’s always we go for Chemo and then you disappear or don’t return my calls- and no, texting doesn’t count as returning my calls. I just, I don’t get it. You said you wanted things to get better, and if you’re afraid Jasper doesn’t like you, well you’ve never given him the chance to like you.”

“That’s a very nice speech.”

Mac sighs, and his shoulders deflate a little. “Fine, pay for a hotel.”

“Well you don’t have to take up  _ that _ tone,” James says, suddenly sympathetic, as Mac waves him off and goes back to the papers he was grading. “You didn’t let me finish.”

“You sounded finished to me.”

“I’ll stay.”

“You don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.”

“No, not at all. If you… if you want to extend that offer to me, I wouldn’t mind staying.”

Mac looks up at him skeptically, and nods. “Okay… that’s fine with me.”

“Come on, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s just everytime we make progress you push me away again, or you make it overtly obvious that you’re disappointed in me. What more do you want? What could I possibly give you that I haven’t?”

“There’s  _ nothing  _ to be disappointed in. Would it have been nice to work with you in ops? Yes, but you’ve made quite the name for yourself in the teaching community from what I’m hearing.”

“So, what am I missing?”

“I just don’t want to intrude on your life.”

“That’s what a father is supposed to do.”

“I don’t want him to not want me there.”

“Who? Jasper? I promise he’s… he seems like he’s tough but he’s a big sweetheart. He’s going to love that you’re there.”

James nods, leaning back into the chair. He looks at the hotels and looks to Mac, who is still grading his papers. “Listen, if you’re only doing this because you think you have to-”

“I don’t. I want you to see my house, and meet my dog, and get to know Jasper. You always say you want to be apart of my life, well, that’s it, that’s the hub of my life. The center of my life. It’s where I do most things in my life. There’s no reason for me not to want you there.”

James nods, and Mac sighs. “This is too much at once,” he concludes before his dad can say it. “How about we start small then. You stay for dinner. Just dinner, no dessert, we won’t make you take home a parcel of wine or anything. You stay for dinner, and if you deem it so awful, you can be out before coffee.”

“Sure…” James says, Mac tapping his pen erratically at his papers, glancing this way and that, takes frequent sips of his coffee, and gets more quiet than usual. “Boy… there’s just so many hotel options,” he says slowly. “Do you- do you know any good ones maybe?”

Mac looks up and his shoulders untense just a bit. “Uhm… Can I see?” he asks, gesturing to the laptop. 

“Sure.”

His leg was still bouncing, and Mac looks through the website for a moment before taking out his phone and going through his contacts before calling someone. “Hello? Is this the Bentley hotel?” James audibly chokes on his coffee. “Hi, This is Angus Macgyver-Sheriff, my husband and I are well acquainted with some of your best business partners- Sure, I can wait while you check.” 

“What's she checking?”

“Our status on their list.”

“List of?”

“A-Listers.”

“You’re an A-Lister at the  _ Bentley Hotel? _ ”

Mac shrugs. “Jasper knows a lot of people and has also gone deep cover as many a celebrity- Hello? Yes! Yes, I’m his husband. Oh it’s been about two years now. Of course, it’s  _ no  _ problem whatsoever. Well, we’re having a very important guest for the night but no room. So I really just need 1 bed- Oh, the guest is my father of course. Oh my sister is staying over, as well, and she took the room, and well, he doesn’t get out much, he wants to experience a hotel. And I said what better than the finest. Sure of course. Oh he’s not very old, he can make it high up. Well, as long as you give him the best room you can spare for the night.” Mac has on this business voice that James has never heard him use, it’s light and casual but very prestigious. He watches his son get him into a room, wait patiently as they check for this thing or that and then very simply Mac tells them to put it on their gold member card, and that he’ll handle the balance tomorrow. As if life were as simple as that- and for him it seems to be. 

“So… You were saying?”

“Oh, Jasper went deep cover as a lot of celebrities but he booked them under his own names. See, a lot of agents in the line of covert operations that they did, held high positions in simple companies or company locations like hotels, restaurants, the whole shebang. So either he met people because he knew them as agents, or he met them because those agents hired them to cater or hold events at their establishments. And Jasper being Jasper shows curiosity, then starts talking to them, then it’s like they’ve known each other their whole lives and he ends up on A-lists, B-lists, given special phone numbers to book the finest of rooms. As his husband, the curtsey is usually extended to me.”

“And they don’t… call him to ask?”

“Some do, the contact at Bentley knows me, and we’re associated with several other businesses that are big donors to the hotel.”

“So… you’re all set.”

“For the most part.”

Mac smiles awkwardly at James who smiles back. The two falling into silence the rest of the plane ride. 

He can’t hear what he’s saying, but he knows Mac is on the phone. Likely explaining his situation. He was outside of the building, waiting for the car, an arm wrapped around his torso as he raises himself on his toes, to and fro, to and fro. There was hardly a stop or an end to his jittering and James is sure he’s upset the balance.

He should want to see his sons life, he should want to stay over. Why didn’t he? 

The short answer was Jack Dalton scared him. The long answer was much more complicated than that, years of ingrained belief that he’d scarred his only son so badly that any long term interaction would only hurt him. He’d already hurt him, watching him stand outside, talking on the phone to someone, arm growing tighter and tighter around his waist. 

When the car gets there, they stay in silence, Mac keeping his binder open to grade, insistent on getting as much work done as possible. The Phoenix driver pulls up outside of the Hudson Yards and James brow furrows.

“You live in a mall?”

“No, I live next to the mall.”

“What about your privacy?”

“What about it? I live on an exclusive floor that only certain elevators go to.”

“You don’t worry for your safety?”

“Not usually. If you saw the arsenal Jasper keeps in our house, you wouldn’t either.”

“Not worried about being bombed or… something?”

“Dad, it’s New York City, everywhere and everything is a threat, you just have to take that with a grain of salt.”

“It’s a  _ mall _ .”

“No, one of the buildings is a mall. The other building is a business building and that there is my house. Now come on, we’re holding up your driver.”

“You want me to come down now?”

“Well, you’ll get stuck in traffic if you come back in an hour. 5 is rush hour, remember? Geez, maybe you  _ are _ getting old. I should’ve told that lady you need a room on the first floor.”

“I’m not getting old,” James says, Mac climbing out and going to grab his bag from the back. He hugs his binder to his chest, Jack coming out of the building. 

“There he is! The man, the myth, the legeeeeend!” He hollars, Mac laughing, and going to hug him.

“My dad is here,” he says, Jack watching as James climbs out, the two stepping back from each other a bit. They looked a lot more like father and son than him and Mac did. 

“Well ain’t it good to see daddy,” Jack teases, striding over in that bombastic charming way of his, hand outstretched. “Good to see you, man. How you been?”

“I’ve been just fine,” James says, shaking his hand. “Probably been better before,” he tries to joke and they both give tight smiles, fake laughs. Too similar to discount their familiarity. 

“Well we ought’a get upstairs, Jasper has been checking that damn watch of his every ten seconds. The more he looks down, the more I want to rip that thing off his arm, and stomp on it.”

“That’s not very nice,” Mac says.

“No, but he’s been all worried about you all day.”

“Why?”

He shrugs. “Said something about bad energy being in the house.”

“Did he have another bad dream again? Gosh, and he sends me to Therapy every month, can you believe that?”

“Yes, because you have an actual disorder,” Jack says, taking his bag from him, leading the two inside.

“You have a disorder?” James asks.

“Oh I just… I have anxiety, I take medication about it. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Taking medication usually means-”

“It’s nothing, I promise. Besides, I’ve gotten a lot better. I don’t need therapy as often, and I don’t freak out or get into depressive episodes as often-”

“Depressive episodes…”

“It wasn’t because of anything you did-” it was, “I just… my brain forgets to make things like serotonin. That’s all. I was a relatively easy case to fix too, for once I was real nice to the doctors.” 

“Oh good. You never were good with doctors, I remember at 2 your mom would have to wrestle you to stay in the doctors office, would beg me to go along because at least I could usually hold you down better.”

Mac laughs. “Jeez, Jessie would love that story.”

“Mainly because he got a few of his own that go about the same,” Jack says, raising a brow. “I gotta tell you, one time he got a bullet clean through his side, nice, big ole graze, and I had to take him kicking and screaming to the damn infirmary, saying he could do it himself. I sat right down in that hospital bed, arm wrapped around his chest like he was some type of gator.”

“That’s an over exaggeration.”

“I still got the scar where you bit me to prove it.”

“You bit him?” James asks.

“In my defense, I’d lost a lot of blood and was really distressed,” Mac admits softly, looking down a bit ashamed. The elevator dings as it reached their floor, the three getting in. Jack holds up his arm, pulls back his leather cuff, and shows James.

“God, you did bite him.”

“Yeah he did,” Jack says. “My momma says that’s the scars of parenting. She got a few real funny ones, I’ll tell you that.”

Mac smiles, rolling his eyes, shoving Jack a little. James watches them, an uncomfortable smile as he does. He didn’t have any scars like that, scars because Mac bit him while he held him down at the doctors, or because he’d been chasing him through bad situations. He didn’t have any ‘scars of parenting’ the way Ellen did, how she’d spent hours outside chasing him, how she had slipped trying to get him from leaving the bathroom, cut her knee open. He’d always come home to her new boo-boos and never really developed any of his own. 

“Jasper made a feast for a king.”

“Oh baby, he’s that nervous?” Mac coos. “He cooks a lot when he’s nervous,” he explains to James. “Is he okay?”

“Oh he’s fine, I think the cooking was because he missed you. He started making those fried… caprese salad thingys you like, and I knew it was the homesickness.”

James looks confused but Mac looks overjoyed. Jack catches up to James confusion, and laughs a bit.

“Jasper tends to get ‘homesick’ when Mac isn’t around. They’re real attached to each other, don’t know what one would do without the other sorta thing.”

“Some might say the same between you two.”

“Yeah but for them it’s different. I always got Macs back but there’s some things I just won’t ever understand between them.”

“I’m standing  _ right  _ here.”

“Well it’s true, ain’t it?”

Mac shrugs. “Sure, I guess. But you make it sound so negative.”

“Listen, I don’t  _ want  _ to know some of the things he knows, and frankly, if you annoyed me as much as you purposely annoy him, I’d lose my goddamn mind.”

“He enjoys the attention. It really puffs his feathers.”

“Don’t it, just.”

James looks between the two, trying to keep up. The elevator stops, a few floors from their own. “Going up?” a prestigious, older looking woman asks.

“Yes Mrs. Jones,” Mac says, holding the door open for her. “How are you today?”

“Oh just fine. Mr. Jones said the weather is absolutely marvelous lately. Have you been outside- oh you must’ve just been. Were you traveling?”

“Yes, this is my father.”

“The one with Cancer?” she asks softly and he nods. 

“I only have one.”

She looks to Jack and Mac looks to Jack. “Technically speaking,” he adds quietly and she nods, patting Jacks arm who smiles friendly.

“How's the old Mister doing?” he asks and she seems delighted to be asked on her husband, fretting about the mysteries of man as if Mac and Jack could decipher his love for the stock market for her.

“Oh i do love that rooftop balcony, but he seems more concerned on the economical integrity of such a building than anything. And well, who am I to say? All I know is that it’s quite nice but the owner of the building is a real louse.”

“Is he now? Jasper had the same impression when signing the ownership papers.”

“Oh it’s not real ownership. I’m telling you right now, he’ll come and buy that penthouse from you soon as he gets a bigger buyer. He doesn’t care what lists your on, so long as he makes his money tenfold.”

“What’s the Mister think of that?”

“He’s a real business man,” she says laughing, and Mac laughs too. They stop on their floor and Mrs. Jones rubs his arm fondly.

“Tell that husband of yours to stop fretting so much.”

“Has he been fretful?”

“Very, he says bad news is coming to town.”

“Well perhaps it just got here,” James jokes. “Mac can be quite the trouble sometimes.”

Her smile becomes vague and a tad uncomfortable. “Surely, he really knows how to cook, if you know what I mean.”

Mac laughs. “One time!”

“One time too many. Go on, say hi to the dog!”

She waves as they leave and head towards the door of his penthouse, Jack following with Macs stuff hanging from his shoulder. Mac opens the door, a couple walking down the hall talking softly. Mac neither seems to notice them nor be concerned with them, he opens the door, plain compared to it’s grand surroundings, and James enters right into Macs world. 

“Welcome home!” Riley cheers, holding up a little cake, Frankie and Smitty are there too. Mac laughs, going to hug Frankie, Smitty, and Jasper comes out of the kitchen with a nice new mug full of a fancy latte that says ‘welcome home’. Mac laughs, kissing Jasper hello, the mug transfering from Jaspers hands to Macs, the only thing stopping him from being dipped into a kiss. Then he gives Riley a kiss on the cheek, smiling. 

“What on earth are you doing here on a Sunday?”

“Well, I have some time off this week and what better place to spend it than with you?”

“Also there’s a seminar she wants to attend on Tuesday at Columbia,” Smitty fills in, smiling as Mac nods as if it all makes sense now to him. 

“But you too, I wanted to see you.”

Mac rolls his eyes, Jasper nudging him as if to remind him his dad is there. “Well, it’s a good thing you came. My dad’s visiting for the evening,” Mac says.

“The evening?” Jasper whispers and Mac nods, rubbing his shoulder. “Well, ain’t no reason that you can’t stay here,” Jasper says to James, accent coming out broad and thick, unlike it’s usual gentle low beneath his intellectual diction. 

“Oh you’ve got your hands full,” James said. 

“I never did juggle too much, what’s one more person?”

“He’s staying for dinner,” Mac assures. “Just dinner, he hates dessert.”

“Then he’s never had my apple pie,” Jasper says, eyeing James quizzically.

“Dessert is… fine, we’ll see how the evening goes.”

Jasper nods, as if to say that’s damn right, and Frankie eyes James with the same weariness, if not more concerned.

“Riley,” James recognizes.

“Uh… Mr. Macgyver,” she says uncertain. She looks to Frankie and whispers  _ he’s my boss.  _ James smiles tight lipped, Mac looking between the group, and smiling as genuine as he can. 

“Dad wanted to see the house,” Mac explains. “And well, he has to leave super early, and the hotel was closer than the house is. It’d just be easier on him.”

“Of course,” Jasper says. “Why don’t we show him around. Frankie, keep an eye on the food for me, Riley, go set that cake in the fridge darlin.”

Jack follows them, as Mac looks around the area he’s standing in as if debating where to start. “Well, I guess we should start over here. This is the living room-” Cadmium hears him from upstairs and comes rushing down. This is the first time in over a year that he’s traveled without her. He readily puts down his mug and accepts his dog into his arms, picking her up with ease and smiling as she licks his face excitedly. “Hi Cad! I had a miserable trip without you, I just want you to know that I love the most.”

She yips happy, settling in his arms like a giant baby, and Mac just leaves her there, as if it were perfectly normally, rubbing her back as if she were a fussy child. Jasper wipes his face with a ‘gentle for skin’ clorox wipe, and taps Cad’s nose playfully. Mac doesn’t seem to mind being fussed over, he doesn’t reject the notion. 

“Where was I? You made me lose track of my thought. I guess, I’ll start over. This is the living room, we like live here. These are our couches, Jaspers pride and joy.”

“Mighty comfortable too, no hotel bed I’ve ever slept in comes down to these couches,” he says, in true South Carolina fashion. “See, feel the skin on this couch, that’s  _ real  _ crushed velvet, and the dye ain’t no ordinary dye sir. No it’s-”

“Real, organic, made for kings,” Mac mocks. “He gets the gist. See what I mean? Jaspers pride and joy, might as well have made them himself.”

“You can still see the dye stains on my hands,” he teases, showing his hands which were covered in dye stains, but certainly not from dying the couch. 

“What were dying?” James asks curiously.

“Cookie dough. Nearing that time of year where people like everything red white and green.”

“You started making the holiday cookies?” Mac asks. 

“I made those pillsbury looking ones with the turnkey on the cookie.”

“Very cute.” He shows James a few more things, lingering to let James pick up photos and Mac launches into stories, ones too romantic to be true sometimes, others too simple to fit them. Picnics or grand adventures or days by the shore, laying in the grass.

The open concept living room bleeds into a dining area, which was set with glass plates and crystal glasses. James admires the view out of the big windows, looking down on the city, that glistens and shines and honks beneath them. Loud and obnoxious looking right from the window, perfect enough to paint a romantic photo with a high sheen gloss. It’d look nice on the wall for 3 years and then he’d have to replace it.

Mac is oh so charmed by his view. It seems the American dream to him, to have this big window, and look out over the city like a king. 

They go upstairs, Mac not having much to say. He puts Cadmium down and she follows him up, step for step. “Upstairs we have 3 bedrooms and a bathroom.”

Mac shows him down the narrow hall to the first door on the left, leading into a big swooping room with 2 doors. This was his and Jaspers room, he explains, as if it wasn’t obvious. They had a king size bed drowning in comforters and pillows and throws. There was a flat screen, and a sitting area, and in the corner was a keurig and some mugs with a k-pod holder, full and not missing a single thing, as if it were waiting for Mac to use it. There was a dog bed in the corner, and the walls were covered in little paintings, pictures of the two. It was warm, and radiating with a unique kind of love.

James is momentarily reminded of Ellen, and how she used to put all sorts of things around their room- things that she found charming, photo’s, records, or books. He’d gotten rid of most of them, mainly because it was always too painful for him to think of her.

The other two rooms are not greatly unique, and Jasper doesn’t have much to say, Mac just tries to make conversation. He shows him the upstairs bathroom, and Jasper concludes as Jack leaves Macs bag by the bedroom door, that Mac should shower and change while he takes care of the rest.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. You rest up, I’ll make sure your dads settled in.”

Cadmium stands behind Mac, panting happily as he leans down to give her head a rub. Jasper takes James downstairs, feeling his eyes on him. James notices a door to the far left, but it stays left unsaid. “So do you like New York?”

“I think it’s… lively,” he says and Jasper nods.

“It’s not for everyone.”

“I certainly didn’t think it was for Mac.”

“Neither did I but he loves it here. He loves the crowds and the bustle and the narrow pent houses with grand views. He loves NYU.”

Jasper steps off the stairs, and goes to the table in the living room, taking the latte and sipping from it. “Aren’t you going to give it to him?”

“Mac doesn’t really like lattes. He thinks theres too much milk, not enough coffee. I just like making them, he likes taking pictures of them.”

“So who drinks them?”

“Me usually. Jack thinks they’re too bitter.”

“I see.”

“Did you want one?”

“Oh uh..”

Jasper waves him off, steering him into the kitchen, where James was sure he was going to get a latte whether he liked it or not. Jasper checks on something simmering on the stove, there’s dishes that were laid out on the counter, not meant to be touched, only admired. When he opens the fridge to grab the milk for the coffee machine, James can see the rich looking desserts hidden inside beside fresh cheeses, ripe vegetables, fruits he didn’t recognize.

Jasper takes the glass bottle and sets up the latte machine. Frankie and Riley are talking, Frankie explaining her recent research, Smitty has taken up trying to help Jasper, the two are having a conversation but James can’t quite focus on what it’s about. He looks around, looks at the paintings on the walls. He wanders out to see Jack, adjusting the pristine table, cleaning up the living room. He was certain in how things were, of how the house should look, how they might want to look around a guest.

“I didn’t expect there to be such a full house,” James says and Jack smiles.

“Yeah, this ain’t nothin. You should see when they’re feeling social, you might as well have been thrown into that book… what’s that book?  _ Gatsby!  _ That’s the book.”

“Really?”

“Sure, just two weekends ago they had everyone they knew over, big ol party. There was everything you could imagine or desire, everyone was having this grand ole time. Matty was here, she didn’t tell you?”

“Uh no, nobody told me.”

Jack nods. “Well, I’m sure Mac wanted you here.”

James nods, not sure what to feel and he can hear Jasper laughing in the kitchen. “Uhm, what did you want me to call you? Is Mr. Macgyver okay? Or do you prefer James? Am I qualified to call you dad, are we not that close?” he muses, handing James a latte with a restaurant perfect design on it. 

“Oh uh…”

“I just think if I knew what to call you, that might make this a lot easier.”

“Right… of course. James or Jim works fine.”

Jasper nods, smiling sweetly, though his eyes try to read him. As if they were looking to see through him. He nods. “Well, Jack why don’t you two get settled on the couch, dinner’s just about done. Where’s Mac?”

“Still showering, as far as I’m concerned,” Jack says. Jasper nods, and Riley looks at him, having come up beside him. Jasper nudges her playfully, making her smile. 

“I’ll be right back,” Jasper promises, going upstairs to their bedroom. He knocks before coming in, Mac in the shower, the bathroom door propped open. He knocks before walking in, Mac washing his hair. 

“Got sick of my dad already?”

“No, I made him a latte.”

Mac laughs, popping his head out of the shower. “Than what do I owe you the pleasure this fine afternoon?”

“Finishing your shower and getting that cute butt of yours down to dinner.” 

Mac laughs, ducking back into the shower. “Now I’m going to take my time.”

“Then we’re going to eat without you.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would. You can eat dinner alone if that’s how you feel.”

“I’m almost  _ done _ .”

Jasper laughs, leaving the room with no insinuation if he planned on carrying out his plans or not. Of course he didn’t, fixing up the bed, leaving a sweatshirt he wore recently on a chair close to the bathroom door. He goes downstairs and helps Riley set the table with Jack, adjusting everything so it was perfectly put together, perfectly prompted. 

James seems to be trying to take up conversation with Frankie, trying to understand the serious depths of her cognition. Smitty comes out holding the boeuf bourguignon, seeming very proud of it, as if he himself had created it. Jasper takes it, places it on the table. Everything is in the eye of his perfection.

“So, Jasper, what do you do now, other than the bakery?” James asks.

“Uhm.. I paint sometimes?”

James’ brows furrow and Jasper shrugs insecurely.

“I have a lot of work at the bakery. I don’t have time for much else. I have private orders, and I have to keep the trays full or else nobody will you know, want to come in because i’ll have the reputation of always being out and impossible and to buy things from unless you’re a 6 am customer.”

“So you’re well staffed?”

“I uh… I think so?”

“So I heard there was some Caprese salad with my name on it?” Mac calls, walking downstairs. 

“How much do you make on an average day?”

“Uhm, well usually my average is $15,000 but I’ve hit a few really good days where I’ve made over a million.”

“In a day?” James asks.

“Yeah, between private order sales-” Mac sits down at the table, looking between his husband and father. “-and regular sales, coffee sales, breakfast sales. Smoothies, if I’m offering them, tend to be more expensive. The after church rushes on Sunday are usually the days that I make that high.”

“I see,” he says, waiting for everyone else to sit before finding his place, Jasper at the head of the table. “I was just asking Jasper about the logistics of his work.”

“Well it’s not hard to comprehend. He bakes things, people buy em.”

“Right.”

Mac nods, smiling. “It’s his passion project. I mean he has like 4 PhD's ...”

“Mac,” Jasper scolds as if embarrassed. 

“Through  _ what  _ means?”

“A lot of hard work and all nighters and classes that were set up for me at work. I worked very hard to get to where I am Mr. Macgyver, and if you wanted to interrogate me about my life and my job and my aspirations, well you probably should’ve done it  _ before _ the wedding,” he informs, his accent having dimmed but the sharpness in his voice is evident. “Anyways, lets dig in before the soup gets cold.”

“Smells amazing, what is it?”

“Vegan corn chowder,” he informs, James nodding, interested. Mac lays a hand on his heart, informing his husband it smells amazing and Jasper thanks him. Mac is the first to try the soup, hand still lingering over his heart, and when he seems satisfied, everyone seems to follow suit. So naturally James does too. 

“It’s very good,” James says. “I’ve never had anything quite like it.”

Jasper preens at the compliment, but James knows it’s only the illusion of winning him over that he provides. “I’m glad you think so.”

“What drew you to cooking? You were such a good… think tanker,” he says, aware of their non-spy guests. 

“It was just a good escape. There’s little you can count on in the world, but if my granddaddy taught me anything it’s that cooking is the common variable.” 

“Were you close with him?”

“Depends on how you view the situation.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Oh, we don’t have to talk about this-” Mac starts but Jasper raises a hand.

“Darling, it’s okay. It’s all in the past now. My grandfather ran my family in a very cult like, sadistic manner. He brainwashed me for many years in hopes that I would replace him but I ended up being depressed and left. So yes, when I lived there, I felt him to be a very close friend to me, and while he was not warm and fuzzy like Mac’s grandfather was compared to mine, he was… doing what he felt was right for me. So I suppose it’s all in your perspective.”

“Oh,” James says softly. “I’m sorry that you went through such an awful thing.”

“Life hits you, you can only move on. Right, Angel?”

“Yes,” Mac agrees. “So uh, in Berlin, dad and I saw the funniest thing,” Mac segways, catching everyone’s attention. They go on to talk through dinner, James remaining mostly quiet. Watching as Jasper piles Jacks plate up for seconds, offers Mac more soup. Mac does much the same for Jasper, offering to fill his plate, or his glass. They lull into conversation between bites. James feeling just a bit left out, but only able to watch his son interact. 

He had so many people who loved him, surrounding him, making sure he knew they loved him. Mac was especially attached to his husband, something James hadn’t expected. Mac hardly spoke of Jasper to him, so to see him so attached changed everything in his mind. They way they held hands at the table, or how Mac looked unto him so fondly. 

It’s over sooner than James expects. They eat with a lot left over. Mac is the first to stand and help clean up the table. Jasper stands behind him, insisting that Mac doesn’t need to do anything, that he must be tired from his flight. 

“I fly all the time, we’re not going to do this every month,” Mac tells him. 

“Don’t you ever get jet lagged? Just go relax. Sit with your dad.” 

“I can clean up the table, than sit with my dad,” Mac promises, piling up a few of the empty plates. Almost every plate licked clean, and James will admit he himself could’ve licked the plate clean. Jasper was an extraordinary cook. Mac looks to James, smiling half hearted. “You don’t mind if I clean do you?”

“Not at all. Shows I raised you well.”

“See? Jack can entertain him.”

“Sure,” Jasper says, pouring himself a bit more of the fine pressed juice. “Isn’t this the best? I got it from the farmers market. There was sort of like… a farmer’s fair going on. Independent vendors who came to the market that day.”

“And I missed it?” Mac asks, faux devastated. 

“Only sort of. They’ll be back next week, and by then we’ll have to do shopping anyways. Because of it, I found us some great new restaurants.”

“Really great ones, Jasper and I tried one-” Riley starts and Mac gasps. 

“Without me?”

“Sorry,” Jasper says softly, nudging him playfully and kisses his cheek. 

Mac smiles, taking the plates to the kitchen, Jasper grabbing one of the empty, heavy, china dishes that had the roast in it with his free hand, following Mac. Riley is talking to Frankie, Jack is casually indulging Smitty in conversation. James feels compelled to help, that maybe he would be of some sort of service to Mac, and therefore Mac might not be so upset with him for not staying. 

Mac returns with a few more things, Jasper following him out. His cup was gone, and him and Mac were engaged in conversation. The house, James notes, is a tad small, and not as grand as it was in Macs descriptions. But it was very well put together, thoroughly beautiful, and if anything, a perfectly cluttered. Mac did like to collect things, even when he was a child.

“So I did see that article you sent me- about the new star wars movie. I think it’s stupid. I mean what we have is  _ great _ ,” he can hear, as he chooses to put his own dishes in the kitchen.

“You’re still going to drag me to see it.”

“Midnight showing babe.”  
“I really love that for me.”

“Well I’m sure the release is a weekend. So it won’t be too harrowing for you or anything.”

“Yeah but you’re a superhuman. You’ll wake up the next morning to run no matter what.”

James can’t bring himself to disturb their conversation, just lingering outside the kitchen, watching them. Mac has taken a candy off the table, popping it in his mouth. “It helps me keep my wits about me.” 

“Sure,” Jasper says, pinching Macs face between his forefinger and thumb, giving him a gentle and brief kiss. James remembers once when he had someone to love so thoroughly, when Ellen would walk about the kitchen doing her chores, and James would follow her like a lost hound, not trying to do anything but gather her words and attention and affection. 

He clears his throat, walking in, the two giving him their attention. “Anywhere that I could put these?”

“Oh you didn’t have to do that,” Mac says, pushing the hard candy to his cheek. He takes them, Jasper offering him the bowl.

“Butterscotch. I made them.”

“They’re the most heavenly thing you will ever have, I’m sure of it.”

James laughs and passes the offer. “My teeth aren’t as strong as they used to be. I’m probably better off without it.”

“You only have so much time to enjoy the finer things in life,” Jasper taunts, but he puts the bowl down anyways. “They’re there if you’d like any. So you’re sure you can’t stay much longer? I was just going to make a fresh pot of coffee.”

“And the good wine is on the dessert menu,” Mac says, Jasper raising a brow, a small smile coming to his lips.

“Have I ever bought a bad wine?”

“No. But I know you’ve bought some that are not nearly as good as others. And I know for a fact the best wine is on the table tonight.”

“Sure, the best wine that goes with the dessert is on the table tonight. And you wouldn’t want to miss it,” he tells James, Mac nodding, grabbing tupperware for leftovers, Riley and Smitty coming in with more dishes. Frankie can be heard in the living room, talking to Cadmium. 

“Are we disturbing?” Riley teases.

“Oh not at all. Mac and I are just convincing James to stay.”

Riley nods. “You should,” she says. “They’re fun hosts.”

“They must be since you’ve been gone so long,” James says and Riley nods awkwardly, Mac raising a brow. “Mac himself is a time off extraordinaire. One inconvenience and he just left.”

“I didn’t just leave-”

“Really because it seems to me-”

“What seems to you exactly?”

“I’m just saying you left the second you could, and Riley seems to be doing the same thing.”

“Well a little time off never hurt anyone, especially in her very intense line of work for the cyber community,” Jasper saves. “Nobody ever touts you about taking time off from being a father, but here we stand with you in my house, insulting my guest. Right?” He nods and moves on quickly, his tone joking, giving James no time to retaliate. “Very well then. Let’s get the coffee going, and the dishes soaked so we can enjoy dessert!”

Mac sighs, following his father out, who didn’t find Jasper to be very funny. “He didn’t mean it,” Mac says following his father. “Not in a mean way.”

“He has a real mouth on him.”

“Well, he’s very protective of people he loves. And maybe he’s right… you’re being very harsh on Riley.”

“She’s an agent-”

“Who came to my door on the verge of a mental breakdown. I don’t know what’s going on in Phoenix, but I know someone I consider a sister to me was very distraught and is taking time to heal.”

“You sound just like him.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“I should go.”

“You don’t have to go, but you can’t come for the people here-”

“You agree with him?”

“Riley is  _ hurting _ . Ops is not a suitable place for people to go in wounded.”

James nods. “Thank your husband for the dinner, I really think I should go.”

Mac gets that big, somber eyed look about him before standing up straighter and going cold. “Fine, have a safe trip home. Call me when you book your next appointment.”

“Mac-”

“No, leave.”

“Listen, I just don’t appreciate-”

“And I don’t appreciate you constantly belittling everyone around you and pretending like you never left me. I, more than anyone else, understand you’re trying! But you don’t make it easy, exactly, to forgive you! I mean who invites their dad over to stay in their house and you couldn’t seem more desperate to get away from me! Well there’s the door, since you’re  _ so  _ opposed to my husband, and my house, and my life, and whether or not I keep Riley here because she’s obviously too unwell to work! Go ahead, leave! It’s what your good at it anyways. Just like my husband said right?” 

“You’re overreacting,” James says, the whole apartment watching them silently. 

“No I’m not.  _ No  _ I’m not. You always do this. You make me out to be the bad guy, you don’t-”

“I don’t get you right? You’re just this misunderstood, lost child who’s too good for the world. Well you’re not so hard to understand Angus. You just want attention and for the world to spin on it’s axis for you.”

“You’re right. It’s my world and you’re the only one not living in it. You know, you were desperate to claw your way out of here five minutes ago. What happened to that?”

“I wasn’t desperate to leave-”

“You were! I had to beg you to come here to begin with!”

“Sure and then I come here and get disrespected. That’s great for me, isn’t it? To just let your husband step all over me.”

“You started interrogating him!” Jasper steps forward to say something but Mac snaps at him instantly. “Stay out of this- you have no right coming here to interrogate my husband, and make jabs at Riley about not coming back on your schedule. Are you paying her to be gone?”

“No-”

“So what’s it matter to you? It shouldn’t. It has nothing to do with you how long she takes off. And obviously you haven’t cared enough to ask her if she’s okay.”

“Is this really about her?”

“Are you really going to pull some psychology bullshit on me? Get out of my house. Leave. Next time you want to stay in New York don’t expect me to pull out my credit card to get you a nice place to stay- don’t even think about  _ asking  _ to come here.”

“You think this is easy for me?”

“What? Being in my life?”

“I’m trying but all you do is push me out!”

“How am I pushing you out?” Mac bursts, tears brimming his eyes. He turns to Jasper, his eyes gleaming with tears and Jasper softens instantly to Mac. 

“Mac honey,” Jasper says softly, pulling him closer to whisper something to him, and James knows instantly he’s trying to coax Mac in his favor from the look Mac gets. “Listen to me- Listen- Okay, fine, I’ll apologize first. I haven’t been fair to you Mr. Macgyver, and that is on me. I have a bad habit of being over protective of those around me that I love dearly, it’s just in my nature. But I didn’t have the right to say those things to you. Or not give you a fair chance.”

“I’m not apologizing. I invited him here, I nearly begged him to stay with us, and he denied. He didn’t even want to come to dinner, we just spent all night convincing him to stay for dessert. I pay for his chemo, I got him a nice hotel across town. So what am I doing wrong?”

“Mac…”

“Tell him to leave.”

“Angus,” James starts. “Maybe if we could just talk in private-”

“So you can tell me that I’m irrationally emotion and an idiot for being upset with you, who’s nothing short of a good man, and just trying his best to bond with the son he left behind? Sure. I’d really love that.”

“Enough,” Jack says, stepping in, sizing up James who was nothing in comparison. “You did your damage. It’s time to go. Come on, man, I’ll walk you to the car.”

“I’m not trying to-”

“He’s an adult, he doesn’t need parenting,” Jack asserts. “Specially not from you, Hoss. Now get your ass downstairs while I call a car for you.”

James nods, turning to Mac one last time to find Mac has already made his way to the kitchen, his dog whimpering as she follows him there, sniffing out his legs and climbing up for sympathy. “Well, thank you for the dinner Mr. Sheriff, it was very lovely. I should go then.”

Jasper nods. “I really am sorry.”

“I would’ve done the same for Ellen.”

Jasper nods again, watching Jack escort Mac downstairs. Frankie, Smitty and Riley huddle in the living room, awkwardly standing in the aftermath of the very tense yelling match. They all shuffle upstairs when they hear Mac sob, deciding to leave him alone. He didn’t need an audience for his grievances. 

Mac sits in a blanket on the roof, looking into the fire pit, cadmium at his feet. Jasper rubs his back as he stares into the open fire pit, head on his shoulder. 

“Stop feeling guilty,” Mac says. “You were just trying to lighten the mood.”

“I don’t want things to be messed up between you two.”

Mac shakes his head. “Nothing is messed up. I’ll call him tomorrow…” 

Jasper nods, pulling Mac close, bending his head to look at Mac, Cadmium perking up a bit to see what they’re doing. “You know… you don’t have to forgive him. Or keep going with this. You can choose to let it go.”

“I don’t know that I want to let it go.”

“Okay… I just… I don’t want you to forget that it’s an option. You have a lot of people here who love you. Like… Jack.”

“Hm… we do love Jack. Don’t we?”

“We do,” Jasper agrees, kissing the top of Macs head. “You want coffee?”

“Sounds great, actually.”

Jasper nods, petting Cadmium before going downstairs to make Mac coffee. Riley soon replaces him, taking a seat next to him, but she sits a few inches away, glancing over at him nervously.

“I uh… I know you’re upset-”

“Just a little.”

“I just wanted to thank you for defending me.”

“I will always defend you, Riley.”

She smiles, and Mac glances over and smiles too. “You know… It’s not your fault.”

“It feels like my fault.”

“Yeah but it’s not… Not entirely.”

“I don’t know, I shouldn’t have insisted he come over. He didn’t want to be here and I pushed him.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault.”

He nods, Cadmium climbing up and tilting her nose up as she whines up at him. Mac kisses her nose, and smiles. “I’m okay, Cad. I promise, just a little sad.”

“You know… You aren’t at fault,” Riley says again. Mac nods. 

“Yeah… Come on-”

“Come on? Jasper is making you coffee.”

“Downstairs, in that lovely pent house of ours. But I’m up here,” he says. “In the cold, by a fireplace, with no jacket. And you’re not either.”

“You can talk to me about anything, you know,” Riley says. “If this is bothering you-”

Mac shakes his head. “There’s nothing to talk about. Lets go downstairs, get our coats.”

“For… what?”

“I really could use a Hershey bar,” Mac says. “Not exactly something Jasper ever keeps around here.”

She nods, and she follows him downstairs. Cadmium pants, her feet softly padding as they go down the stairs, she had little boots on that Kaori had sown her to keep her warm in the winter. Riley follows him, watching Mac as he opens the door to the apartment, soft music becoming loud as they open the door. Frankie and Smitty were working the Karaoke machine that was probably Jacks, who was putting out the dessert. They looked like ice cream bars covered in chocolate, in little fry trays. Jasper is just walking out the kitchen when he sees Mac.

“The red one or the brown one.”

“Well… is the red one red velvet?”

“You wouldn’t know unless you try it.”

“That’s very cryptic.”

“You want the red one?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, close your eyes and open your mouth.”

Mac complies without thinking about it and takes a bite when the bar touches his lips. 

“Wow, I really did marry a whore, how did you know what I was going to put in your mouth- ow!” Mac opens his eyes to see Jacks smacked Jasper. Mac laughs, humming. 

“It tastes like chocolate.”

“Ruby cacao,” Jasper proclaims proudly. 

“Well, keep it, I’m going on a candy run.”

“What? No we banned candy from our diet- remember? We said no to candy-”

“Wait,” Riley says. “Did you say he was a whore? Come on, that is not an original joke.”

“Wanna know how long I’ve been telling that joke to Mac?”

“Two times,  _ tops _ .”

“All 5 years I’ve known him. First time was when we were still friends, someone told me if you ask a guy you like to do that he’s probably gay, and well now here we are. Married.”

Mac shakes his head, opening his mouth for another bite, Jasper lifting the bar to his mouth. “You fell for that for five years.”

“Makes him feel better,” Mac says, grabbing his wallet. “Also I’m sorry, but I just really need chocolate-”

“This is chocolate.”

“That’s pure cacao. I need  _ sugar _ that’s been  _ processed _ .”

“But then it’ll make you feel icky, because everything in it is icky.”

“Yeahhh but… sweet and sugary chocolate.” 

“You promised.”

“I’ll bring you back a snickers,” Mac promises. 

“I could make a snickers better than snickers.”

“Right…” Mac says, kissing him. “I promise I’ll eat the… red chocolate thing when I get back.”

“Cheater,” Jasper whispers devastated and Mac smiles, grabbing his coat from the hanger, and looking at Jaspers coat, glancing at him as he walks away and looks to Riley.

“Do you need a coat?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll make a viewing appointment tomorrow.”

“A… A viewing appointment?”

“Yeah, Jasper has people, and he’s had this coat forever. Refuses to get rid of it.”

“And you’re going to…?”

“Make him get a new coat. See, what we’re going to do is while you’re at work with him tomorrow, you’re going to make those big bambi eyes you make-”

“I don’t have bambi eyes, you have bambi eyes-”

“No you have bambi eyes. Anyways, you’re gonna give him those cute, big ol’ eyes okay, Riley? And you’re going to go, ‘I was telling Mac that I really need a coat but you have the number to the coat guy’ and he’ll say something like-”

“What are you talking about?” Jasper asks, circling back around with a bit of determination and Riley looks to Mac who looks to Riley and she sighs.

“Mac thinks I need a coat.”

“Oh, I have the number to the coat tailor. Babe, can I send you the number and you make an appointment for 5 tomorrow, are you going to be off at 5, should we aim for later?”

“I finish at 4.45 tomorrow, do you just want me to meet you there?” Mac asks, pulling on his coat. 

“Sure- Now about the chocolate bar thing-”

Mac runs a hand over Jaspers facial hair, kisses him gently. “I’m getting the Hershey bar,” He says softly, smiling cutely. Kisses Jasper again, tosses a scarf at Riley. “Lets go before the mall closes.”

Riley nods, taking one of Macs sweaters hanging up and pulling that on too.Mac takes a few paperclips from a bowl by the doorway, and they walk out. They go to the elevator, Riley looking at Mac as the door shots and he hits the lobby button. 

“You wanna talk about it?”

“About Jasper needing a coat?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m just thinking,” Mac says, smiling a bit but never looking up at her. She feels like there’s so much unsaid between them, so much lying beneath the surface. So much that he has to say, that he’s not saying. “Just… it feels like things aren’t working out for me lately… and I just really wanted  _ this  _ to have worked out.”

She nods, trying to figure out what he means and shakes her head. “What’s not… what’s not working out Mac?”

He focuses on his paperclip sculpture, eyes lost, and she can see he’s thinking over every word that he could say. Whatever he said, she wasn’t getting the truth. Maybe not even half of the truth. 

“I can’t say,” he finally says. “Besides, you have enough on your plate.”

She nods, and she wants to ask if him and Jasper are fighting, but she can’t help but remember how just seconds ago all she did was say  _ Mac  _ said she needs a coat, and he agreed in a second. Would he have done it anyways? Mac had kissed him twice. 

They reach the lobby and Mac hands Riley a paperclip shaped like a binky. “Because I’m Jaspers baby.”

She laughs. “Very proudly stated.”

“It’s true. He loves me, that will never change.”

She smiles. “And you…”

“Love him with everything inside me. He’s my best friend- but don’t tell Bozer I said that. He gets jealous.”

Riley laughs, the two walking out to the cold corridor, Riley looking up at the copper vessel. Mac smiles, bumping their shoulders together. “You know I’m gonna miss you when you go back,” he says, the two standing there for a moment and she smiles. 

“Yeah, it’s going to be like losing you all over again.”

“You never lost me, Riley. Besides, you could always quit and move here. I think Jasper is becoming very attached to you.” 

She smiles. “And you are…?”

“Your buddy for life,” Mac says. “Attached from the start.”

“Dirty.”

Mac laughs, and shakes his head. “It’s because I haven’t gotten laid in a few days.”

“No, I never want to know that you have sex. In fact, I think you’re lying. I’ve never seen you so much as naked near each other.”

“Just be thankful we have an ensuite bathroom that makes it very hard to hear anything through.”

Riley makes a face. “Can’t you just tell me your a virgin?”

“No, he has abs that are too good to be true. I haven’t had real abs since I was 23.” 

Riley laughs, nudging him. They’re walking closer to the vessel and the mall, Mac catching the sight of a girl who looks a bit like Lauren, curled up on one of the benches. His brow furrows, looking to Riley. “We should talk to her, I think she’s crying,” Riley says sympathetically. 

Mac nods, getting closer and he recognizes that vintage windbreaker anywhere. “Lauren? Lauren, Honey, what are you doing here?” he asks, walking swiftly towards her, her blonde hair spilling over her knees and he can hear her crying. He wouldn’t say that the few blocks around him were always the safest, she could so easily get taken in the wide open, dark vista that wasn’t heavily guarded this time of night. She doesn’t look up. 

“I don’t want you seeing me cry,” she gets out.

“It’s a little late for that,” Mac says softly. He looks to Riley who looks confused. “She’s my student,” he mouths and Riley nods. “Lauren, what are you doing here? It’s practically pitch black out, and you’re about a half hour away from Campus.”

She shakes her head, and Macs shoulders lower. 

“Please… come on, we’re buddies. And I’ve seen you cry before! I mean remember last week, when you couldn’t do that slope problem I gave you, and you cried.”

“Yeah but that wasn’t a real cry! I’m ugly crying, and this is so embarrassing!”

“What’s embarrassing? I mean it’d be a lot more embarrassing if you were drunk at a party that I had to shut down, but lucky for you, I’m more terrified of drunk college students than crying nerds.”

Lauren looks up and pouts at him and he smiles.

“See, progress. I can work with this.” He gently reaches up and rubs away her tears. “You wanna come inside? Jasper made dessert.”

“Inside… the mall? His bakery is like ten blocks from here or something like that.”

“Uhh no, I live here.”

“You live here?”

“Yeah, we basically have a permanent lease on a penthouse. What? You marry a man with money, you get nice things.”

“Are you both married to a sugar daddy?”

He laughs. “Uhh no, he used to be a think tanker and made a lot of money selling ideas.”

“I thought you said he was a lawyer?” Lauren asks confused, hiccuping, wiping her tears, and Mac squints. 

“He sort of did… both?”

She nods, looking up at Riley. Mac looks up at her too and smiles.

“That’s my sister, Riley.”

“We’ve met before,” Riley says, Mac nodding. 

She nods. “So, Jack was like a hoe or…”

“Do…. do you think Jacks my dad?”

“Is Jack  _ not  _ your dad?” 

“No, Jack is not my dad. Wha- did you think I just called him Jack instead of dad?”

“Yeah, some people do that. Like they’re all ‘my parents are my best friend’ and well you were like that with Jack and he looks like he could be your dad…” 

Mac squints and nods. “Huh… yeah no, actually he’s a lot closer to being Riley’s real dad than mine- that’s not the point. You’re outside crying in the cold. Can you please come inside? At least until I get the keys and beg them to let you into the dorms.”

“They won’t. I’ve never missed curfew before but… there’s no way.”

“I’m kinda maxed out on rooms but I have a really nice couch. Like Jasper has state of the art velvet, you’ll never feel a sofa that soft ever again.”

“This night is so humiliating.”

“Lauren, hon…. I’m offering you the opportunity to sleep in a 22 million dollar penthouse on furniture worth more than your tuition at the most expensive university in the country.”

“With my professor. That’s like gossip waiting to happen.”

“Everyone knows your gay, and everyone knows I’m married. Besides, unless you put it on your blog about knowing the Gay Pride Boyfriends from that viral picture of us a few years ago, nobody will find out probably.”

She nods. “My girlfriend and her friends invited me out and ditched me when I went into the… that stupid store with the fancy perfume and the colors and they  _ left! _ ” she bursts into tears again, Mac collecting her into his arms instead of letting her curl into herself again. He rubs her back, a bit awkward. “She put me straight to voicemail!”

Mac nods, Riley looking over at him sympathetically. “When I was 18 I had sex with a guy in the army who was engaged, and also like 4 years older than me.”

Lauren looks up. “What?”

“I’m just saying, it could suck more.”

“You were in the army? God, how old are you again?”

“Twenty seven?”

“So you were in the army, and you worked at a think tank and somehow got a… PhD in 2 different sciences?”

“I graduated at like 15, if that helps at all.”

She looks puzzled. “Jaspers home right?”

“Yeah why?”

“I have a feeling he’s a lot better at this than you.” 

Riley cracks up, and offers her hand. “Come here, kid. Macs never been good at this stuff, trust me. I’ve had a few heart to hearst that ended a lot more awkwardly than his affair in the army.”

“Was he really in the army?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn, I can’t afford getting you a veterans day cake. That’s like a week from now or something.”

“You don’t have to get me a cake.”

“Do you know how many people are in that class? That’s a lot of cake!”

“I don’t need a cake, I promise!”

“And piping… it costs money!”

“Lauryyy, are you listening?”

“How’s a frap from starbucks?”

“Latte sounds better,” he promises, taking her under his arm and she leans into him. 

“You won’t make me do homework right.”

“No, I promise.”

“Do you have a bathroom?”

“Yeah, I have 3.”

“Wow…” She nods.

“Also uh… I should mention, my friends from MIT are sleeping over. And Jack is over, well he lives next door.”

“Jack is rich too?”

“No, we uh, we got him the apartment.” 

“So you have another dad?”

He nods. “Yeah, he was actually just here. We got in a whole big fight about something or other… we don’t get along very well.”

“Yeah my parents hate me.”

“I don’t think they hate you.”

“They think I’m a disgrace because I’m a lesbian.”

Mac nods, smiling. “Well… if you ever find yourself in trouble with them, you always have us. Riley too.” Riley smiles awkwardly and Lauren just nods, sizing her up. 

“She’s hotter than you,” Lauren tells Mac.

“That’s because you’re a lesbian. Otherwise that would not be true.”

“No, it would be.”

“Hah!” Riley says. “She thinks I’m the hot sibling.”

“You know, Lauren is in a crisis right now,” Mac says, the two walking her through the lobby, Lauren going quiet to admire the giant chandelier, the elegance of the whole place. They go to the elevator, and wait quietly. Mac rubs her shoulder. “You know… it’s not the end of the world. Sometimes you date someone who really sucks.”

“Like your army boyfriend who was engaged?”

Mac laughs. “Yeah… but it’s like… you think this really sucks, but then you fall in love with someone and they break your heart in half, and then that really sucks, right? And then you land on the one… eventually. And you get a dog about it. And you think it’s not so bad.”

“I know that was supposed to be uplifting but it just sounds like I have to go through a whole lot of pain to get anywhere.”

“That’s life… you get knocked down a few times, and sometimes you don’t even realize you’re being knocked down, because you’re so warped up in the feeling.”

She nods, the elevator opening up, and they get in, Mac clicking the button and they wait. Riley wonders if she should fix his pep talk, help out a little. But she chooses not to, Lauren leaning against the banister, lingering behind them, trying to make herself smaller. They get upstairs, and Mac leads her to the penthouse. 

“Okay,” Mac says softly. “The bathroom is this door over here,” he says softly, it doesn’t help that Jasper and Frankie seem to be having a duet to a Lemonade Mouth song, and Mac nods at Laurens look. “Yeah, uh, that’s a lot of adult fun you’re going to pretend isn’t happening.”

“You’re not going to let me have wine?”

“Not even in your dreams. Also there are facial wipes and eye masks behind the mirror. Take your time, help yourself.”

She nods, smiling. “Uhh… Thanks Professor Macgyver, you really don’t have to do any of this.”

“Mac, and, don’t tell Collin but you’re like my favorite.” He winks and gestures to the bathroom before going to the living room where he confiscates the two wine bottles. 

“What, did you feel like a traiter?” Jasper asks, not quite tipsy yet, reaching for hte bottle and Mac pulls it back. “What? Are you mad at me? We’re mad at your dad, not me!”

“Noo, there’s a child in the house.”

“Riley is not a child,” Frankie points out. Mac rolls his eyes.

“Actually, one of my students was crying outside, and now she’s in the bathroom freshening up.”

“You let a student into your house?”

“The dorms are closed, and she’s upset, and has been abandoned by her friends.”

Jasper pouts. “This was mac feel better night.”

“Yeah, well, now we have a tiny person sleeping on our couch,” he says as he walks away with the wine and Jasper collects the glasses. They all settle down, Riley following Jasper into the kitchen with some of the plates. Jasper looks to Mac, taking him into his arms as he stands from the wine cooler. “Her girlfriend and their friends ditched her, and I did an awful job consoling her apparently.” 

Jasper nods. “Which story did you go to.”

“Carlos story.” 

Jasper nods. He looks to Riley. “Go get the facemasks, take her upstairs and have a girls night.”

“I’m the babysitter?” Riley teases. 

“Yes, and Frankie is going to go with you,” he says as Frankie walks in. 

“Go with her where?”

“To Riley's room for a girls night with Lauren.” 

Mac looks uneasy for a minute before nodding. “Or how about you all disperse for the night and I promise we’ll reschedule karaoke.” 

They all nod, and Jack comes in. “We okay?” he asks and Mac nods. 

“I’ll be fine, my dad’s done worse than fight with me… I think she just needs to deal with this… not be overwhelmed.”

They all nod, Smitty the last to trickle in as Lauren slowly emerges from the bathroom, small seeming compared to everyone else. “You know, I can try to bribe the guard into letting me into the dorms.”

“Not at all,” Jasper says. “Did you eat? Mac just flew in from Berlin and I made him what I think is a stellar dinner.”

She looks around, eyes landing on Jack. “Did you know you’re not his real dad?”

“Uh… yeah I figured that one, sweetheart. You okay?”

“Not really.” 

They all nod. Mac looks to everyone and Riley nods. “Well, I think I’m going to turn in, you guys have fun.”

“Us too,” Frankie says, Smitty nodding. Mac smiles, Jasper offering Lauren a chair. 

“Sit,” he says softly. She nods. 

“You guys don’t have to do this.”

“Your good as ours, sugar. Sit, I’ll set you up a plate.”

“Not really hungry.”

They all nod. Jasper sits down beside her. “Sweetheart, you don’t gotta stay with that girl. You deserve so much better than that.”

“I don’t have anyone else,” she whispers.

“That’s not true. You’ve got us… me and Mac, and Jack Daddy over here. You’ve got your friends, like Collin and… god what are the other twos names?”

“Finn and Cassie,” Mac fills in and he nods. 

“Yeah, them. You’ve got them too. And you’d probably make great friends with Michelle.”

“Michelle is your ex student who works in the bakery?” she asks Mac and he nods. 

“Yeah, and there’s no reason you can’t work with her if you wanted to. Mac says you don’t start classes until 12 except for his class, so why don’t you put in the hours with me. Morning and evening. I pay well. It’ll give you a place to go, something to do.”

She nods. “I’ll probably need the money soon anyways.”

Jasper pauses. “Any… reason?”

“I think my parents are going to stop covering tuition. My sister said she thinks our grandma knows I’m a lesbian and… well thanksgiving might make me a little less than thankful.”

Jasper nods. “Well… consider it paid for,” he says. 

“What?”

“Baby, I got more money than I can keep track of, and I thank God about it every day. I can cover your tuition and it really won’t affect me.”

She nods. “You don’t-”

“We want to,” Mac promises. “Don’t worry about finances, we will cover you. And if you don’t want to dorm anymore, stay here. Frankie and Smitty only visit occasionally.”

Jack nods. “And Riley is leaving soon anyways.”

“Trust me, we all know how it is to lose your family,” Jasper promises. “Mac and I especially. Losing family isn’t easy… but life eases up. And there are always people to help. Staying in toxic situations, that ain’t gonna help you.” 

She nods, looking to Mac who nods. “I’m right here with him in your corner. You know that. Trust me, if I wasn’t, I would’ve told you to drop my class.”

She nods. “Wait… You think I should drop your class?”

“Well in late August when I met you, you were the first that I thought should drop the class. But now I know you and if you dropped my class, I’d have to sue you or something. You’re brilliant, and you’re very capable of passing.”

“Am I not passing right now?”

“I’m not telling you that.”

Laurens shoulders slump. “I want to go to bed solely to ignore you.”

Mac laughs, rubbing her shoulder. “Sure. Are you sure you don’t want dessert? It’s very good.”

“Yeah, not enough to stop you from going to buy a hershey bar,” Jasper points out. 

“Shush, this isn’t about you and your candy ban.”

Lauren squints, then reaches for her purse, hanging delicately at her side. She pulls out a hershey almond bar. “For emergencies. You’re obviously deprived.”

“I’ll split it with you.”

She nods, agreeing, pointing to the metal cappuccino machine. “What is that?” 

“Cappuccino and latte machine. Jasper bought three for the bakery, but we only needed two, so now we have one.”

She nods, going to look at it, picking up the pot curiously from the drip coffee part, then putting it back down. “Huh…”

Mac and Jasper laugh. “Yyeaahhh, don’t touch that,” Jasper says, taking her by the shoulders and leading her to the living room. 

She looks up at the high ceiling, the shimmering chandelier. Her eyes trail to the bannister, the sparkling wood. She traces over the paintings waiting upstairs behind the bannister. “What’s that door over there?”

“Our office.”

“You share an office?”

“Yeah, usually.”

“What’s that door.” She points to the door on the otherside, spinning a bit as she looks. 

“A closet.”

“Hallway.”

“Yes, there’s a hallway.”

“And I thought  _ my  _ family had money.”

“Wait until you feel the couches.”

She turns to face the windows that trace the whole wall, looking out over the city. “Wow, I died and became a princess. If only you had like a hot girl waiting for me in a dress- wait can you get Riley to put on a dress.”

“Riley is 24..”

“Okay, and?”

“That’s… no,” Jasper says shaking his head and she pouts. “But, if it helps, Jack would probably look great in a tiara.”

She laughs, hugging her bag. She can hear noise from the kitchen, something clanging, and her professor cursing. She looks to Jasper who’s rolled his lips together and looking down. 

“Mac, babe-!”

“It’s nothing! Nothing happened!”

“That didn’t sound like-”

“Okay, nothing is broken.”

Jasper nods, listening, Jack saying something about how Jasper was  _ so  _ going to kill him. “Do they know we can hear them when they talk that loud?” Lauren asks and Jasper shrugs.

“They’re not always the brightest, even if Mac has a certified genius card. You know what, why don’t you go upstairs by Riley and borrow some pajamas until I make sure Mac hasn’t… set the kitchen on fire trying to make cappuccino.”

She nods, Jasper offering to take her bag and she just grips it. “Her rooms upstairs,” he offers, and she nods, going to the stairs. She feels heavy and a little pathetic. Her chest tight as she walks towards the hallway, lit up only by a Neon sign. She walks down, not sure which room was Riley’s. There was a series of doors. A room with big wooden double doors, the wood shiny, and perfect. 

She searches, coming across a semi open door, finding a bathroom with Riley inside, plucking her eye brows. “Jasper said to come find you,” Lauren says quietly, Riley smiling in the mirror. 

“Yeah?” she turns, and looks at Laurens eyebrows, fixing them. “Let me clean them up, sit.”

“You don’t have to- I mean, I really should probably go back to the dorms.”

Riley laughs. “You must like your roommate.”

“Actually she’s one of the girls who ditched me…”

Riley nods, taking Lauren into the bathroom. “Sit on the bench,” she says. “Also I’ve been there, get into the wrong crowd of girls. Think it makes you look cool.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this… but I should’ve listened to Collin. He’s going to say I should’ve had rec room wings with him and the rest.”

Riley laughs. “Trust me, once I ditched Mac to go out with this reaaally pretty guy and he had wanted to go to this restaurant all week. And I remember being practically on my knees, insisting this was my soul mate. I had to go out with him. And he spent all evening, helping me get ready, and I remember my curling iron broke, so he spent twenty minutes figuring out how to make a makeshift curling iron and doing my hair for me with a youtube tutorial. And guess what?”

“What?”

“The guy ditched me. Never showed up. I waited an hour, and I called him, in my nice outfit, at this table, tears in my eyes, to tell him the guy never showed up.”

“Was he mad at you?”

She shakes his head. “He told me to wait forty more minutes, that maybe he was just caught in traffic. Guy never showed, but Mac did, in a nice outfit and he came in apologizing like he was my date. Paid for dinner and everything.”

Lauren smiles, sniffling. “Do you think I should dump her?”

“Yeah, and maybe you can date Michelle. Michelle is cute.”

She smiles, shrugging. “I just… I feel stupid.”

“You’re 18, stupid is expected.”

“Yeah, apparently Professor Mac was getting laid in the army.”

Riley laughs. “Yeah, and the last time they saw each other, I don’t think that guy forgot.”

“Ew, I don’t want to know that.”

“Yeah trust me, we all were the most confused when we saw them making lost lover eyes at each other. And then on the plane ride home, we got the Carlos story. He didn’t even know he was engaged for three months.”

She nods. “What was your stupid thing?”

“I went to Jail at 16.”

“Like… for a night?”

“No, like until I was 20. I had gotten into hacking and learning code when I was young. Got me into a lot of trouble… I hacked the pentagon.”

“Wow… you’re my hero.”

Riley laughs, shaking her head. “No, that is not the reaction I wanted!”

“It’s true! That is so cool. So did you get parole or something?”

“Actually… Mac and Jack needed me to help them crack a think tank thing they were working on. Macs ex girlfriend went psycho and faked her death, and he needed to crack her laptop to find her. So they negotiated to get me out.”

She nods. “There’s a rumor he was a spy.” 

Riley laughs. “Rumors are rumors,” she says. “Hm… style your brows, or just clean them up?”

“Just clean them up. I don’t really like styled brows.”

Riley nods, going to grab her witch hazel, brow brush and her tweezers. 

Mac sets up plush blankets as Jasper finishes the cappuccinos. Mac fluffs the pillows, putting up the firestick. Jack wanders in with the dessert. 

“I think I’mma head out.”

“You say anything to my dad?” Mac asks. 

“Just told him not to call…”

Mac nods, squinting at him. “That’s it?”

Jack shrugs. “Don’t worry your head so much. Didn’t threaten him or nothin. Just told him that he messed up, and he shouldn’t expect you to always come running back to him.”

Jasper walks in as Mac comes to terms with this. “Do you think he’ll apologize?”

“If he do, he better walk up here and say it in person.”

Mac nods, Jasper taking Mac by the waist, Mac looking up at him with a smile, gaining a kiss to the cheek. “Well, thank you for talking to him… I appreciate it man, you know that.”

“I know,” Jack promises. “Don’t get into trouble or lose the girl. Else nobody ever gonna let you get a baby when that time comes around.”

Mac laughs. “It’s really hard to lose fully grown girls. Especially when they’re sleeping on the couch.”

Jack scoffs. “That’s what I said to my mama when she met you, but I can name a few times I thought I really lost you for good in a wood or two.”

“That’s different.” He glances towards the stairs. “And you know why.”

Jasper laughs. “Yeah because you’re a disaster that’s hard to keep track of. Last week, you got so excited about seeing that halloween display, I lost you on 43rd street.”

“You did not.”

“It took me twenty minutes to find you, and you only stopped because you saw that puppy and Cadmium made friends with it-”

“Speaking of, where is she?”

“In her doggy room,” Jasper promises. They had a closet like room that they had no real use for and turned into a doggy room for Cadmium, and there was a cat bed for Whiskey, who was hiding under the dining room table. She didn’t come out very often unless it was to cuddle Jasper. 

“Aight i’mma head out, you two behave.”

Mac laughs. “I’ll walk Jack out,” he says. Jasper nods. 

“You want the rest of your dessert, baby?” He asks, following Mac, hand on his lower back.

“Sure, love.”

Jasper goes to grab dessert, Mac walks out Jack and they meet in the middle, on the couch, waiting for Lauren to return. “She’ll be okay,” Mac says after a moment. “Right?”

“Of course she will be.”

Mac smiles, kissing Jasper gently. They settle against the couch, and they pull up a movie and wait for Lauren to come back downstairs. “You think she’ll take up the job?”

“I’ll talk to her about it.”

Jasper nods, and Mac looks up at him, tracing his hand over his beard for a minute. “What’s wrong?” he whispers, looking down at Mac, his finger tracing over his lower lip. 

“Are you okay? Everyones been saying you’re nervous about something.”

“You’re home now, and everything is okay… I just missed you, leaves a bad feeling in my stomach when you’re far for a few days.” 

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Maybe it was just your dad coming over.”

Mac nods, kissing him. “You can tell me anything.”

“I know. I really did just miss you.”

“I thought we were working on our attachment issues.”

Jasper laughs, kissing his nose. “Works in progress, is what we are.”

\- The Next Morning -

“You weren’t in your dorm this morning,” Collin says over the facetime, Lauren's face smushed into the couch pillow. “Man, where are you?”

“Believe it or not, I’m in Professor Mac’s penthouse.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he’s got like… a lot of money. I’ll tell you everything later.”

“So you’re fine?”

“Yeah. Fine, warm. Had a really good cappuccino yesterday.”

“Should I grab you breakfast?”

“Nah. I think I’ll be fine.”

Collin nods. “Can’t believe you ditched me to hang out with our professor.”

“He’s kinda fun believe it or not.”

Mac rolls over in the bed, sitting up as he watches Jasper slip on his rings methodically. His wedding ring first, his ruby ring on his middle finger. He puts two gold bands on his forefinger. The engagement band Mac got him went on his right ring finger, and the right forefinger was adorned by a very deco ring, the only silver ring he ever wore. He chooses a watch, and buckles it. Then it’s three precise spritz of his  _ Baccarat Rouge 540  _ perfume, the one Dallas gave him every Christmas without fail, the bottle always empty in time to replace it with the new one. He shakes out his white button up, matched with his black pants, high waisted pants. The one with the mahogany buttons it, made it look vintage and a bit different than his usual style. “My phone says it’s 30 degrees this morning.”

“We run in all weather,” Jasper mocks, already buttoning up his dress shirt. 

“Maybe I’ll just go work out in the gym downstairs.”

“It’s part of the deal when you live in a place like this.”

Mac nods, getting up, looking outside. It was gloomy and dark out still. November brought chill, scared away all the warmth. Jasper sits on the edge of the bed, leaning back over Macs legs. “Do you have cash? I forgot to withdraw cash for the bread guy.”

“Mmm… maybe a twenty?”

“Twenty is good. I’ll return it to you.”

“Don’t really need it back.”

Mac leans over, kisses Jaspers chest. “I should get up.”

“Yeah. I need to work out… then shower and get ready.” 

“Does Lauren have class early today?”

“No, I don’t think so. If she’s up, you should ask her. We gave her a phone charger right? I don’t want anybody freaking out about her because her phone died or something.”

Jasper nods. “We gave her a phone charger, and comfy blankets, and good pillows. And we let her have the remote, so long as she didn’t pull an all nighter and got at least 3 hours of sleep.” 

Mac nods, Jasper sitting up. He rubs Macs legs, the house mostly silent. “You want breakfast?”

“I don’t want you to be late.”

“I’ll be fine. You just say the word, and I can whip up breakfast.”

“Sure, don’t make anything crazy.”

“Hows oatmeal and eggs?”

“Hard boiled.”

Jasper nods, kissing Mac before leaving the room, letting his husband freshen up. He can hear Lauren talking to someone, finds her curled up on the couch, on the phone. 

She doesn’t notice him. “Yeah well, that’s not my fault. You do that all the time. And then you regret it every time. Twinkies are not your friend, we talked about it.”

Jasper smiles, walking further into the living room. “Morning,” he says softly. 

Lauren looks up surprised. “Morning. What? No, it’s not him, it’s just Jasper.”

“Just Jasper, thanks,” he teases and she shrugs.

“We love you too, but we spend a lot more time with Professor Mac.”

“Sure. I’m making oatmeal and boiled eggs. You want any?”

She shrugs. “Uhh sure, don’t make the oatmeal gross.”

Jasper laughs. “Nothing I make is gross.”

She takes his word for it, Jasper going to the kitchen and grabbing oats to start on breakfast, Mac jogging downstairs minutes later. He can hear him talking to Lauren, something it being too early to be on the phone, and then saying hi to Collin. He can almost see the cheesy smile Mac makes, hears him laughing as he walks towards the kitchen. Jasper smiles, looking over as Mac walks in and grabs a water bottle. 

“Don’t forget to call the tailor,” Jasper says as Mac goes around Jasper, taking his hips and kissing his cheek. “And also, don’t forget to meet us there.”

“I won’t.”

“Don’t forget Lauren.”

“Won’t.”

“Aaaand have a really good day for me.”

Mac smiles, kissing him. “Promise. Sorry I didn’t make your coffee this morning.”

“Slacking,” Jasper teases.

“I try not to.”

“Try harder.”

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll do better.”

Jasper rolls his eyes, the coffee pot set up. “And hey, if your dad shows up at your job or something, promise not to freak.”

“I have zero faith that he’ll come and apologize, so I doubt I’ll have anything to freak out about.”

Jasper nods, smiling. “Go, I’ll leave breakfast for you.”

“Love you, enjoy your day babe.” Mac smiles and he heads downstairs to workout. Jasper finishes breakfast, finds Lauren had fallen back asleep, and smiles. He leaves the plates out on the table, grabs his coffee, his wallet, his old, long, plum purple coat with the fake brass buttons that Mrs. Dunham (who lived 3 years across the street from him in his small county of Ohio) had made for him. He wears it with pride, and sometimes, he thinks of the sweet old woman and how she smelled a lot like the color purple. Something sweet and floral, almost fruity. Thick and wild and yet so tame and royal seeming. He loved that coat, and he remembered getting it, how he hadn’t had a proper coat since he left home, and how it felt so rich, how it warmed his whole soul. He wore it so proudly to Zeus the next day and took great care to hang it in one of the coat closets in one of the lounges they had for the operatives. 

It was old now, the tough farmers market wool fraying from long winters, tough usage, mornings in snowy gardens trying to unbury the plants to see if they survived with matching gloves. The brass buttons were a bit loose, the pockets, loosely sewn from her old age, were no longer able to hold heavy things. 

He wants to mend it but he never has the time to sew. Life was so busy now. 

The cold battles against him as he walks out of the elevator into the parking garage, and walks to the tesla. He puts on instrumental music, soft, soothing. Country Road plays, a soothing soft cover of it. The world is dark, loathing, gloomy, but that’s just how mornings in New York were. The sun never really comes up, and the clouds hang heavy. October weaned into Halloween, and November first was gloom, cold, and rain. The sky rained with leaves. 

His parking lot is empty, not even the bread guy was there. There was dough waiting in the fridge to be molded into pastries. Croissants that were twisted and ready. 

He unlocks the back door, the kitchen cold from the evening. He shuts the door, light streaming in from the high, thin, panel like windows. Jasper switches on the lights, turns on the ovens, twists the heat on and lets the place warm up. He washes his hands, dries them, grabs the trays of croissants from his fridge, starts up the ovens. 

“What jams do we want to make in the pastries today…” he sing songs to himself, switching on the other pair of ovens and walking over to the cabinet to the left of the sink. He brings down the coffee tin, with the nice coffee from whole foods that he doesn’t use upfront. He sets up the coffee pot, turns it on. 

Then he leans up and takes down 4 jams. “Whats on the menu today?” he asks himself. There were strawberry, peach, fig, and cranberry jams now on the counter. He sighs, going to get his dough from the fridge, and he’s midstep as he sets the jams on the counter and is moving to the fridge when someone knocks on the backdoor. 

“Hey Rico, you know you’ve never been early on a- Oh.”

“Good to see you too,” James says, standing on the other side of the door, squinting at Jasper from the sudden light. “I just thought Mac would be here.”

“He’s not.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“Do you wanna come in and clear the area? You can use a gun too if you want. If that makes you feel a lot better.”

“Listen… I’m not here to interrogate you.”

Jasper sighs, steps aside. “I’m not having this conversation in the cold. Get in here,” he says. “Well come on, heat isn’t cheap.”

He nods, stepping in, looking around the kitchen. The life that it’s taken on. “So he’s not here.”

“Mac rarely is here before class. He gets up, he works out, he eats breakfast, and heads to work. He sees students before class, and he goes to class. He comes over after work, which is usually around 8, and we head home together. So no, you’re not going to see him. And unless you go over there to apologize to him, he’s not really in any mood to see you.”

“I just… I’m trying with him.”

“So why did you do that?”

“What?”

“Belittle him, bag on Riley.”

“I didn’t belittle him.”

“Sure, you just yelled at him in front of everyone he knew, as if he was a little child. What was it you said? He’s an extraordinaire at leaving? And that he was on my side- just like me?”

“I was just messing around, you were the one-”

“No, you know Mac won’t say it to your face, but you  _ ruined  _ him. I never seen anyone cry the way he did- for days, okay? He didn’t leave that bed for  _ days.  _ Kept asking me why someone would do something like that to him. You were supposed to have his trust, instead you controlled his life from behind a curtain, dragged him into that damn mess of yours. And now you want to be his friend, to play daddy and you don’t even care enough to save his feelings in his own house. You walkin back into his life was no ‘minor inconvenience’ okay?”

James gets real quiet, and Jasper sizes him up. 

“You want any sort of relationship with my husband, you’re going to catch him before he gets on the 7.40 shuttle to NYU and you’re damn well going to apologize.”

“And what about me? I get to see everyone calling Jack his dad, see him be close to everyone. I want that with him, but… I don’t know how to get that.”

“Usually starts when you’re not a jackass.”

“What about your dad?”

“What about him?”

“Isn’t he in your life.”

“My daddy once drowned me in a pool to teach me a lesson, so no, I wouldn’t say we’re close.”

James nods awkwardly. “Well, I am… sorry to hear that but… I want a relationship with my son. And I don’t want to be a ghost in his life.”

“So stop acting like one. Stop acting ashamed of him. Stop… putting him in situations where he feels like he has to beg you to be there for him or with him.”

James nods. “Is that what you think of me? That I don’t want to be there for him?”

“I think that you came to my house and made him feel like shit.” 

“So that’s it, there is nothing I can do now, you’re just going to believe I’m the worst.”

Jasper sighs, unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up, doing on at a time, shaking his head at James the whole while. “I don’t think you’re the worst…”

“Really, because-”

“Stop, stop victimizing yourself. You’re not the victim in this situation. You lost your wife when he was so young, and I cannot imagine that pain. If I lost Mac… I’d be devastated. But… I would never leave my kids behind. There are ways to get better, there are people to talk to.”

“I don’t do therapy.”

“Maybe you should.”

James sets Jasper with a stare who shrugs, going to wash his hands and get started on the dough. “Let me tell you something here and now,” Jasper starts. “I’m going to be there for Mac whether or not you want me to be. He’s going to continue having the family that he has. Me, Frankie, Smitty, Jack, Riley, Bozer, Leanna. My family too. He’s going to keep having that. We are always going to be there for him,” Jasper says, starting to work his dough. “And it’s up to you if you want to be part of his life. It’s up to you if you want to fit. Mac doesn’t trust people easy, I would know. First few months, he was all skepticism. He looks for all the cues of danger. I know my husband, and I know him a lot better than you do. The time is 6.35, you have less than an hour to go over there and apologize and talk to him.”

James nods, looking at Jasper. “So you want me to talk to him.”

“I want my husband to be happy,” Jasper says, putting the dough down and grabbing some flour so his dough doesn’t stick. “And I know he wanted to get along with you so bad.” Jasper looks over and raises a brow. “You don’t need my approval.”

“You’re technically my son too.”

There’s a knock at the door before it pops open. The coffee pot perkling and popping as it finishes brewing. “Rico!” Jasper cheers. “Coffee is ready. Help yourself.”

“Who’s this?”

“Oh uhm- this is my father in law.”

Rico nods. “Rough, hate mine.”

James sighs. “This isn’t helping me.”

Jasper nods. “Fix your relationship with Mac. We don’t have a relationship, so you don’t have to worry about that yet.”

\- Back at the Hudson Yards - 

Mac walks in from a brief jog in the cold with Cadmium, shivering as they walk into the apartment again. She pants happily, sitting patiently for him to take off her little boots. Mac leans down, takes off her boots. She kisses him and Mac smiles. “You’re lucky I’m sweaty and have to shower.”

Lauren is up and drinking her coffee, Riley sleepily propped up at the table. 

“Tired,” She says when she sees Mac. Mac goes to the oven and pulls out the apple pie Jasper forgot he told him about. He slices it and scoops the slice into his bowl of oatmeal. Riley watches him, and holds up her plate. Lauren watches both of them baffled. “Jaspers apple pie is better than sex.”

“You’ve never had sex with him, you’re not allowed to make that call,” Mac says, offering Lauren some and she shakes her head. She’d already put berries and honey in it. Cadmium sits by his chair as he puts the pie away. Riley offers him a bite of her egg and he takes it. “Get ready, we gotta catch the shuttle which is always here at 7.40.” 

“Okay,” she says, eating her egg. 

Mac mixes his oatmeal and takes it upstairs with him, only stops to fill a mug with coffee. Riley got up and packs the eggs left for him in a container, he liked them after his first class as a snack. She puts it with his thermos of coffee. 

Upstairs, Mac grabs a towel from the personal towel closet in his bedroom, and goes to the shower. The water runs, and he melts under it. Lets the water run over him. He takes Jaspers nicer body wash and uses it, feeling like he deserved it. Not that Jasper would really care that he did, but he only used it when he wanted to feel special.

The morning seems to go slow, and he doesn’t really want to go to work. 

He wants to curl up in bed and drink his coffee with Cadmium laying on his belly, and he wants to sleep all day. Wants to forget anything had ever troubled him. 

He lets the previous day wash off him, puts on a warm fleece plaid, slips his wedding ring back on, brushes his hair and styles it lightly. He spritz some cologne in no particular fashion, and he goes downstairs, wallet in pocket, house keys and coat waiting for him downstairs. His bag waits on his arm chair, lunchbox in front of it. The downstairs was warm, and welcoming. Pictures of him and Jasper lay on the fireplace mantel, the TV above it was on, and low. The morning was grey, and preparing to rain, maybe. The world was slow, tired, hanging on his shoulders like a fashionable jacket. 

“Ready?” he asks Lauren, grabbing his coat, shrugging it on. She was wearing one of Riley’s sweatshirts with the nice jeans she had on the night before. She nods, grabbing her bag. Mac grabs his stuff, Riley hugging him goodbye and milling into the living room. “Lets go.”

Lauren follows him downstairs, sleepy. “I should probably get a new dorm or something.”

“Why?”

“Her friend dorms with me, they’re closer than we are. Maybe I’ll see if Cassie’s roommate will switch with me, they hate each other anyways.”

“Give me until the end of the day.”

“For what?”

“To fix your dorm situation.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, trust me, Patty who runs the dorms, thinks I’m very good looking. If I just smile nice at her and make small talk, she’ll keel.”

Lauren snorts. “Who knew you used your powers for such evil.”

“Only ever good.”

“That’s what you say, but is that what you mean?”

“I’m helping you, aren’t I? Seems a worthy and capable cause to me.” 

The elevator dings as it reaches the lobby, and as the doors open, Mac sees his father, waiting outside the revolving doors. He sighs heavy. “What?”

“You’re about to meet my real dad.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, it probably won’t be fun.”

She nods. “Dads, am I right?”

He smiles, shaking his head. “Yeah, dads.”

They walk towards the door, Mac clutching his bag, even if the strap was pinned to his broad chest, his knuckles nearly white with the effort. 

“Angus,” James confronts as they exit through the straight door, and he nods at his dad. “Who’s this?”

“One of my students.”

“What?”

“Nevermind. What are you doing here?”

“Wait why is your-”

“If you stayed last night you’d probably know.”

“We ended on the wrong foot.”

“Huh. I didn’t notice.”

“Don’t be so  _ childish  _ in front of- That’s not why I’m here.”

“So you’re not here to belittle me?”

“No, I came to apologize.”

“You’re not doing a great job.”

“You’re not making it easy.”

“I haven’t really said much to make it hard.”

“Well… Maybe we should start over.”

“In general or in this conversation? Because we did the whole swipe the slate clean thing, and yet, you never seem to let it go, that I’m the golden prize you manipulated your whole life.”

“Seriously, the  _ girl _ -”

“What about her?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“I’m sorry for… well I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night, I should have been more open to your lifestyle.”

“My  _ lifestyle _ ? What did you think we were fighting about?”

“You leaving the think tank… which lead to our relationship. And I know there’s a lot of tension there but I  _ am  _ trying. And I am doing my best to be there for you. I don’t get all this pomp and circumstance-”

“How can you say that when you abandoned me to live in a 7 bedroom house literally across the city? I’ve seen your house before. It’s just different from what you live like.”

“You don’t seem like a city person.”

“I’m going to miss the shuttle.” 

“I just think-”

“You have a plane to catch, I have to go. Lauren needs me to fix her living arrangements. Call me when you know what you want to talk to me about.”

“I’ll wait here until you get back.”

“You’ll be waiting until 9, so I wouldn’t really wait up for me if I was you.”

“I could.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“What are you saying?”

“That maybe you should just call me for your next appointment and we’ll talk in December.”

“No… we don’t have to-”

“I have to go.”

Lauren has gone to wait by the vessel on the bench she was on last night, he goes and taps her so she looks up from her textbook. “Are you doing the homework I assigned you?” he asks. 

“No…”

“The one I specifically said don’t wait to do until the day before?”

“Uhhhh- if I say no again will you believe me?”

He sighs, helping her up, and she nudges him. “Are you okay?” She asks, following him around the construction fence and the cars to the curb at the end of the street where the shuttle to NYU met them. They walk in silence, and she could see his mind working, the wheels turning. 

“I don’t know,” he finally says, when they’re stopped on the curb. All the cars had their lights on, and they bobbed as they crossed through the green light. He watches them, shine and glisten as they move forward, tired commuters inside. “I thought… maybe things could be better, that we could just swipe the slate clean.”

She nods. “Can we ever really… start over with some people? It’s deep stuff to work through, wiping the slate clean doesn’t change that. Just makes a real problem look shallow.”

Mac looks at her confused. “Lauren, that is the smartest thing I have ever heard you say.”

“Thanks, I’m pretty sure my Philosophy professor said that last week.” 

He laughs, nodding. “Damn, and here I was thinking you were very brilliant.”

“I’m an Architecture major, my brilliance involves colored pencils.”

“Arguably that doesn’t make you any less brilliant. Just more lovable.” 

She beams, nudging him and he smiles reluctantly. “Fine, come give me a hug.” Lauren is appeased, and hugs him tight, Mac laughing, hugging her back, rubbing her shoulder. The shuttle soon pulls up, and so the day begins. 

  
  


Getting to her dorm is the scariest thing she’s done in a long time. She wants to say she stormed in there with all her wild confidence. But she hasn’t. She doesn’t know if anyone will be waiting for her, there’s laughter coming from the room, and she stands outside the door, staring at it. She couldn’t go in there. How could she face them? What would she say? 

“You want me to go in there?” Collin asks, in his varsity jacket, looking to Lauren, who’s much thinner than him, looks very small next to him. 

“I just… need my stuff.”

He dangles his keys. “My roommate isn’t there, I’ll get your stuff.”

She smiles. “Thank you Collin…” 

“Yeah… Anytime. That’s what real friends do.”

“You think we’re friends?”

“You don’t think we are.”

She shrugs. “I don’t know… Nobody ever really wants to be my friend.”

“I want to be your friend, I like being your friend.”

She smiles. 

“My parents got me a nice keurig with those 30 dollar 98-cup boxes with the flavors.”

“Yeah?”

“You can use my mug with the C on it.”

She smiles and hugs him tight, resting her head on his shoulder. “Go in with me.”

“Gotchu sister.”

-the Petit Triumph Bakery- 

“He came by?”

“Yeah, to talk to me,” Jasper tells Jack. “Or well… I guess he said he wanted to talk to Mac, but Mac is never here in the mornings.”

“Maybe he knew that,” Jack says, taking the batch of cookies out of the oven. They were a walnut chocolate chunk cookie, other chocolates mixed in the way jasper liked them. He leaves one for Jasper to snack on, Jasper smiles, taking a piece even if it was piping hot. “Maybe he wanted to get your approval or something.”

“I don’t think it helped. He just… wasn’t getting it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, just all this crap about wanting to fix things, and he loves his son, and oh we just don’t understand. And what about my dad?”

“He asked about your dad?”

“Yeah, but it’s not a big deal. It just… it seemed like he wasn’t getting why Mac was so upset. He doesn’t…” Jasper sighs, frustrated. He’s piping macaron dough into the sheet molds. 

“Why are they brown?”

“Turkey’s.”

Jack nods, understanding exactly what Jaspers vision was. “You think he went and spoke to Mac?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard from him all day… You think that he’s okay?”

“I think he’ll be fine.”

Jasper nods, popping his macarons in the oven and setting a timer. “I just… I don’t want him to end up getting hurt.”

“Sometimes you gotta get hurt to learn, don’t you think?”

“Maybe… but I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“We’re going to be there, whether he gets hurt or not.” 

“Yeah we are… so I know he hates Veterans day-”

“Seriously, we been talking about this since I met you. He will not budge on the no celebrating veterans day thing- Birthdays, he will accept. But he doesn’t see any reason to celebrate  _ himself  _ as a veteran. He thinks its stupid.”

“Every other veteran celebrates, has dinners, or parties, or goes to ceremonies.”

“He thinks it’s unnecessary glamour.”

“I just want to show him we care.”

“He knows that.” 

“I know he knows it, but… I don’t know, wouldn’t it be too much to just go to dinner? I know the perfect place too. A place he would really, really like.” 

“One with a raw bar?” Jack teases.

Jasper rolls his eyes, Riley popping in the back. “Someone is asking if there are any more croissants.”

“Are we out?”

“We just sold the last one.”

“They’ll have to wait about 30 minutes until they defrost a bit and cool.”

She nods, and goes back out. Jasper looks to Jack who nods, bringing out the cookies. Jasper focus on his work, baking croissants that he twisted in the morning.The world melts into everything baking and cookies, and November themed goods. Apple tarts become visions of glory with designs, patterns. The day melts with the butter in the mixer. Frosting becomes snow on cupcakes, sprinkles become more. 

\- The Zeus Foundation, the Middle of Nowhere, Ohio. - 

“Something is wrong with Jasper,” Mel declares as she sits in the chair across from Julius’ desk. He looks up from the papers he was briefing. 

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know.”

Julius raises a brow than gestures for Mel to continue.

“I keep having dreams… that we’re in a storm, and he’s always in the middle, with this  _ dead  _ baby. But it’s not my baby, or our baby. It’s always… a strange baby, it always looks unwell. And he always looks crushed.”

“Maybe you’re just… paranoid or upset about his reaction at the party.”

“No… it means something.”

“Mel… think about it please. What could be wrong with him? He always tells us everything, even if it hurts or is heavy. If he was… struggling with something, we would know. He’s okay… If he wasn’t, he would’ve called, or turned up in the middle of the night by Kaori.”

She nods, slumping in her chair. “Yeah… maybe it’s just pregnancy hormones. Projecting my worries,” she says. “I just can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.”

“They’re bad dreams…” he comforts, offering Mel his hand. She takes it, rubbing her thumb over his wedding ring. “Bad dreams make us paranoid, but the thing about bad dreams is they’re still dreams.”

“What if he needs me? He was my baby first… what if he just doesn't want to say how much he needs me.”

Julius looks at her hand, rubbing her hand. “Well… I have a big interrogation and briefing the next few weeks in France… if you wanted a plane ticket to New York City-”

She gasps, standing up. “Would you?”

He laughs, standing with her and she moves around to hug him. “If that’s what you want.”

“Don’t tell him.”

“I won’t.”

“Also.. I’m cooking tonight.”

“Wha-”

“Oh no no, I really appreciate your cooking-”

“I cook very well.”

“I don’t deny you that but… I don’t think I can have anymore spanish food.”

“I know how to make… pasta. I can make pasta.”

“I’m making fried chicken.”

Dallas walks in, looking at Mel. “What are you doing here? We set up mommy and me yoga in the workout room. Kaori is setting up her mat.”

“Mommy and me yoga?” she asks. “I’m only 5 months in.”

“Its like the size of a banana by now, and look, you have a tummy,” Julius reasons. 

She looks at her tummy and rubs. “Why do you even know that?”

“I googled fruit comparisons to fetus,” Julius says and Mel nods, pursing her lips. “Anyways, go do yoga, you like yoga. Yoga is fuuun.”

“Why can’t you come do yoga with me?”

“I’m drowning in paperwork…” he says, shrugging, turning around to go to his chair. “But hey, we can do yoga later.”

She shakes her head, looking to Dallas. “Don’t let him come home until he’s thought abotu what he’s done.”

“Is that a threat?”

“He will get a very gross cup of tea,” She says, straight faced and Dallas nods, looking at his hands. 

“Maybe go do yoga,” Dallas says, and Julius shrugs.

“No le tengo miedo al té, Mel.”

“You should be. It’ll be the worst tea you ever have,” she says, leaving to go do yoga. 

\- Darlene and Darelle Coats in Manhattan- 

\- No that’s not a real place-

Mac makes his way up the stairs, into the large, open floor. Filled with coat displays, with beads, and material, nice carpet. “Mr. Macgyver-Sheriff, your husband and Sister are this way.”

Mac nods, following her to the back of the room. His bag hung at his side, hands in his pocket. The sun was long set at the mere hour of 5 pm. Jasper is in his purple coat, Riley looking through the displays on a rack. 

“What about this beige one?” she asks, looking to Jasper who nods. 

“I think the sleeves are too big,” Mac says, putting his bag down on the chair and the two look at him, Jasper smiling. “Too fluffy for you.”

“Hey you, where have you been all day? Not calling or texting,” Jasper scolds, Mac hugging Jasper. 

“Dealing with Laurens drama and grading… Just a lot going on.”

“Yeah..?”

Mac nods, looking up at him and kissing him. He runs a hand over his chest, over the plum coat. “You need a new coat. While we’re here, we should try and find you something.”

“Oh but I like this coat.”

“Sure, but it’s falling apart. And for someone who always likes to look his best, I just think it’s time for a new one.”

Jasper shrugs. “I can mend it when I have the time.”

“Well, you can always keep it and buy a new one until you mend it.”

Jasper hums. “I don’t know… we’re here for Riley.”

“Riley will find a coat, then we’ll work on one for you.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “And you?” he gestures to his puffer jacket. Mac looks down at his jacket. 

“I like this jacket.” 

“Mm…”

“What’s wrong with my jacket?”

“Nothing is  _ wrong  _ with it perse… just… you know not the most fashionable,” he teases. “I’m just teasing. Get comfortable, we’re making Riley try them all on. Until she finds the one.”

“Whaaat about this big puffy one,” she says, turning around with the a big pink puffer jacket with fur on the inside. Jasper shrugs.

“Try it on.”

She does, trying on the jacket and showing it off. Mac encourages her, Jasper gives his most honest opinions, and they both conclude Riley would look good in anything. She settles on a long fur coat, and gets taken to the back for a proper fitting. Mac has a 3 racks of coats brought out for Jasper, and he goes to make a coffee at the Keurig. He makes one for Jasper but doesn’t anticipate that he’ll drink it. 

Jasper glances around as they wait for the racks of coat, and he looks to Mac. Sits on the edge of the chair Mac is sitting on. “What?”

“Your dad came to the bakery this morning.”

Mac nods. “What time?”

“Before Rico came in.”

Mac nods. “So you sent him over to talk to me, I’m guessing.”

“I sent him over to apologize.”

“Yeah that didn’t work.”

“What? Why not?”

“He… He doesn’t even know what he’s sorry for,” Mac says, adjusting on the couch, letting Jasper sink back against him. “And I just… I can’t believe it. He came all the way over, and he kept digging into me.”

“Walk me through it.”

“I don’t remember really…”

“Mac… Was it that bad?”

“I don’t know… It was early, he said i was being childish.”

“Were you?”

Mac raises a brow. “I’m not joking with you.”

“I know. But… he wants you in his life.”

“I told him we’d talk in December.”

Jasper nods. “You can be kind of bratty…” he says lightly.

“Maybe I was a little hostile,” Mac admits. “But… I don’t know. I want us to have a good thanksgiving at our house. I want it to be normal, and fun.”

Jasper nods. “Wouldn’t hurt to invite him,” Jasper whispers, Mac sipping his coffee. “Just.. you know, a peace offering.”

“Maybe this was a mistake.”

“Buying me a new coat?”

“No, you’re getting a new coat, you  _ need  _ a new coat,” Mac scolds and Jasper pouts.

“Are you sure, because-”

“I meant my dad.”

“No… it takes a lot of time and effort to fix a relationship like that, Angel. It’s not gonna be easy, even if you see each other every month, or every day… there’s a lot of emotions there.”

Mac nods, watching them bring out the racks. “There’s a cranberry red one that’d look sexy on you.”

“What does that have to do with your dad?”

“Doesn’t. Just would look reaaaalllyyy good on you.” 

Jaspers shoulders slump, Mac eyeing the rack. “Any others.”

“There’s two cranberry red ones.”

Jasper laughs, kissing Macs cheek. “Do you want me to try those on first.”

Mac nods. “I’d appreciate it.”

Jasper takes his coffee mug and sips. “Franky passed by earlier, they should get home safe, they were heading out for lunch in central park, then were planning on taking the train back.”

Mac nods. “She did call,” he says.

“But you couldn’t call me?”

Mac laughs. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you today.” 

Jasper nods, standing up and looking through the coats. “The designer is in working with Riley,” one of the interns informs. 

“Perfect,” Jasper says. He picks out the cranberry ones and Mac looks over them, humming. 

“The embroidered one is very you, but the gold looking buttons… and it has a sherpa lining.”

Jasper nods, trying on the embroidered red jacket, it was lined inside with fur, the sleeves were rolled up stylishly, the jacket was very embellished the way Jasper could be. Mac hums. “Spin a little, show it off,” Mac instructs.

Jasper sighs, walking in a slow circle, showing it off to Mac, then going to look in the mirror. “I don’t know… what do you think? The pale embellishments are… interesting.”

“We can scratch it off the list.” 

Jasper nods. “I look chubby.”

“False.”

“It does, it makes me look fat.”

“Not even a little,” Mac protests. “Just because your arms are so big from all that lifting you do.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “You’re really doing this here.”

“What? It’s true. You’re like lifting 500 pounds regularly at the gym.”

“No, I look very puffy.”

“You do not.”

“I’m not getting this one.”

“Try on the other one. It’s probably the fur in that coat.”

Jasper takes off the coat and tries on the other cranberry red one. He instantly falls in love with it; it was sleek, good looking, not nearly as bulky, and the gold complimented his brown eyes. The look was handsome for Jasper, and Mac watches him look at himself in the mirror before walking over to show Mac. He shows off the jacket, and Mac smiles.

“Well, you look very confident in that.”

“Sure, but I should still try on the others, right?”

“Yeah of course. Try on all that you want. We could be here all night.”

“Don’t you have midterms to grade?”

“No, they’re this week. Speaking of, tomorrow night I’m having a study session for the students in the petit triumph.”

“Oh really?”

“Really,” Mac says, smiling as Jasper goes to take up another jacket. It was beige, very pale. “No, such a light beige color, just not for you. Very ugly.”

“No it’s not. I look great in beige.” 

“Eh, you’re not getting a jacket in that color, are you?” Riley asks, and Jasper puts it in the growing ‘no’ pile. Mac has the cranberry one that Jasper  _ did  _ like spread over his lap, drinking coffee. 

“Okay, next… oh this jacket is ugly. No…”

They go through this for a long while, Jasper trying on coats, then comparing them to the red one. Riley slumps boredly next to Mac, as Mac dramatically talks Jasper up through every outfit. He doesn’t seem to mind for even a minute. He only encourages Jasper, makes him give a show about each coat. Each one boasts a compliment from Mac. The fact that Jaspers head doesn’t grow three sizes amazes Riley. Mac adores him like no other, and his eyes sparkle the whole time. 

She looks over at him and Mac is laughing as Jasper turns in a ridiculous leather jacket. “Woowww, very flashy,” Mac says, accepting the refilled coffee mug from an intern. He runs a hand over the material. “And soft.”

“Right? Maybe I should get this one.”

“Nooo, we will never have sex again.”

Riley makes a sound of disgust. “Why do you have to say things like that in front of me? I don’t want to think about you having sex…  _ ever _ .”

Mac rolls his eyes. “I meant what I said,” he reiterates, tapping Jasper on the cheek. 

“We’re celibate priests, remember? It doesn’t even matter.”

Riley scoffs, nudging her foot at him. “There’s like a hundred left.”

“I have to look this good for three winters, Riley. How will I know what’s right if I don’t try them all on?”

“In three winters you’ll be like old,” Mac says sadly. “So we should just go with Cranberry because it will always be sophisticated.”

“You’re only two years younger than me Mac.”

“You’re 27, going on 31 in a coat cycle.”

Jasper sighs, pulling Mac close in for a kiss. “You don’t own that leather jacket,” Riley complains, sinking in the chair dramatically. Macs head tips back.

“She’s like a baby. Can’t bring her anywhere.”

“Honestly,” Jasper teases, holding Mac by his hip. Mac dusts off the leather as if there were any dust on it, he nods after a moment. “Are you getting used to the jacket.” 

“No… it’s so hideous but you are very good looking. I made a good choice in a life partner.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “Huh.. I think you like the jacket.”

“I think if you keep considering it, there’s a chance I’ll just let my students burn it.”

“Okay… so Riley is anxious and you clearly are set on that cranberry jacket with the gold buttons-”

“No, I was just kidding,” Riley says, sitting up. “You try on as many as you want.” 

“I’m having fun. Try on the bright green one next,” Mac says, offering Jasper some of his coffee and Jasper takes a sip. 

“Ugh, I might have to cancel on my gym buddy.”

“Awwh sucks-”

“If you make a joke about him still getting cardio, I’m moving into Jacks.”

“Have you ever seen me naked, Riley?”

“No.”

“Then I feel like you have no reign here.”

“I feel like you talking about it is enough. Its like how on your honeymoon you once told me that you-”

“I was drunk!”

“I still don’t believe you.”

“It happened,” Jasper chips in. “It was really good.”

“I deserve a burger for sitting through this conversation.”

Mac laughs. He sits back down, Jasper taking his cup and drinking more of the coffee. He hands it back, Mac not minding at all. 

“I do like the cranberry coat.”

Mac is leaning over, looking at Rileys phone. “Ohh her boyfriend has a nice chest.”

She shuts her phone and smacks him. “Hey!”

“What? If you want a picture of Jaspers chest, I’m happy to share.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ve lived with you enough Saturday mornings to have a vague idea of what his chest looks like.”

“Yeah but he has like really nice pecs. And abs, do you know how hard that is for a guy our age?”

“Is this you trying to bond?”

“Yes, and also so he doesn’t get jealous, because your younger, very good looking boyfriend is on your phone and I’m definitely staring at a photo that’s a little too low. Tell him to behave or Jasper will poison his next latte.”

Riley texts back almost exactly that. “Should I go take a topless photo?”

“No, I don’t need to know that you do things like that Riley.”

She raises a brow at him, and he shrugs. 

“It goes both ways, Riley.”

She laughs. Jasper hums. “I wanna see his abs.”

Riley shows him, shaking her head at the jacket. “He’s really good looking, right?” 

“Yeah. How is he in bed, though? Abs mean nothing if he can’t serve.”

“That’s very personal,” Mac says. “What? I’d never hand out that information.”

“The twenty minute orgasm story wasn’t-”

“I was drunk on my honeymoon.”

“How do you even orgasm that long?” Riley cuts in. 

“You expect me to know? I didn’t go, ‘okay babe I want to orgasm for an unnatural amount of time’. That’s not something you plan, ever.”

“Were you on drugs?”

Mac has to think and Riley smacks him. “You were not.”

“I don’t know, it was on our trip to cancun that one summer, you know the one before my dad came in and wrecked my life.”

“Oh yeah, that one weekend you were stressed so you went to Cancun for a week.”

“Get in good with wallstreet abs and you can take weekend trips to cancun and then have forty minute orgasms.”

“I haven’t had any orgasms with him,” Riley admits.

Jasper raises his brow. “You guys have been going out a lot lately.”

“It’s been heating up,” She offers.

“So what’s stopping you?”

“Did you guys do it in your first month?”

“That was different, Mac was barely out, let alone looking to get a-”

“No, don’t finish that sentence,” Mac says. “No shut up.”

“We all know your a bottom,” Riley says. 

“Wha-”

“Like you straddle the arm of the couch sometimes, it’s just… it’s a tell. Also the whole close your eyes… open your mouth thing. Seems like a tell too.”

Mac purses his lip and looks over as she gets a message. “Oo he wants to have dinner at his place, wine and netflix after? Hmm, that sounds like a plan. Take it, I want to have the same plans.”

Jasper laughs, Riley laughing too. “We’d have to get out of here for me to say yes.”

“Say yes, go.”

“Mac enjoys watching me try things on. We don’t get bored.”

“He’s going to do this for hours, then pick the one he loved at the very beginning.”

“I have serious FOMO. Should I get a new therapist?” 

“That wasn’t a fun or cute joke.” 

“It’s true, I’ve been trying on Jackets for a long time.”

“I will find you very pretty in this coat forever.”

“Riley should go. Do you agree?” 

“I agree, go have fun. Get laid or something- but be safe about it. Don’t have a baby. If he does anything you don’t want, remember you have one brother who knows how to make things explode, and the other was the scariest man in the entirety of intelligence and remains so for his whole twenties.”

“I won’t forget.”

“Good girl. Let him pick you up..”

“Call him, put him on speaker,” Jasper says, sitting on the free couch. They nod. “What? We haven’t dated in 5 years, we’re living vicariously through you.”

“Oo, we should do that thing where we go to a bar and pretend to be dating after this.”

“I like that idea,” Mac says. “Now call him.”

Riley nods, putting her phone on speaker as she calls him. “Do you think the people who work here mind?”

“Not at all, I’ve spent whole days here before. Besides, the owner should be passing by soon and we’re pretty close.”

“Hey Riley,” a man answers, Mac and Jasper looking to her. She laughs awkwardly.

“Hey! Uh… well, you know i’m kind of coat shopping and I thought maybe… well I was thinking you could pick me up.”

“O-oh really?”

“Only if you don’t mind.”

“No i don’t… I thought, well I just thought maybe you wouldn’t want to come over.”

“Of course I want to come over.”

“Be coy,” Jasper whispers.

“Is someone else with you?”

“No! It’s just me… just Riley, coat shopping.”

Mac rolls his eyes. 

“Uhhm… well I would totally love to come over… and do the whole… netflix thing. Netflix and chill thing- I mean, yes.”

“Okay, well send me your location. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay.”

“Okay… so I’ll see you?”

“Absolutely… uh, bye?”

He laughs. “Bye.”

“Wow, true love, do you remember when we talked to each other like that?” Mac asks, pouting. 

“Yeah, we used to be so awkward on the phone,” Jasper says, the two taking hands briefly.

“It’s not true love,” Riley protests. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Why not? He could be the one,” Jasper says. “You just have to take the leap and find out.”

She nods, squinting at them. “Are you just being romantic?”

Mac shrugs. “I didn’t think I’d fall in love with Jasper Sheriff of all people, but here I am. In love with him. Giving a study group in his bakery tomorrow.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh yeah, I’m having my students come in for a study group at the bakery because it’s three times the size of any office I have.”

Riley deflates. “Can I get the day off tomorrow?”

“No, but you can watch Mac regret the very decision and beg me to let him become an alcoholic,” Jasper says. She laughs. 

“That, I will do. Can we drink wine to tease him?”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Evil, is what you both are,” Mac says.

“You’re just jealous we can drink on the clock and you can’t.”

“Technically we can’t either…?”

“Especially not tomorrow just to watch me suffer,” Mac jumps in. Jasper nods, taking off the coat. And he resigns, taking up the cranberry one and going to find someone who can fit him for the tailored one. Mac waits on the couch, thinking. “What do you think about what happened with my dad?”

“Hm?” Riley asks. 

“Just wondering… he tried to apologize this morning and I think I was… kind of harsh.”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“Right… but yesterday…”

“I think he was in the same position I was in when I got here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were so quiet at home in LA, and you always were so accommodating for us, but I got here and you were always doing something, and always talking to Jasper, and everything in your life seemed to align perfectly. You had friends, and Jack was always there for you… you live in that beautiful house. It just… it’s a little overwhelming to step right into someone’s life and try to fit into it. He probably thought it was going to be you, him and Jasper, but your life is never just you and Jasper. He didn’t know he would be thrown into fitting in.”

Mac nods, casually crossing his arms over his body. “Yeah… I guess I didn’t think of it like that. To me it just is my life- you guys all exist in it. I love you all no matter what.”

“But we don’t all exist with each other, we’re connected by you.”

“Huh…”

“Give him a chance.”

Mac nods. “Yeah… maybe I should call him.” He gets up and he goes to the dressing room where Jasper is. Jasper is waiting to be measured, and he looks a bit tired. Mac only wants to hold him against his chest all night while they pretend to watch a movie, but really Mac is playing games on his phone while Jasper sleeps. “Should I call my dad?” he asks, refocusing.

“Do you feel ready to do that?”

“I don’t know… Riley was saying how walking into someones life is overwhelming, and how she felt like she was overwhelmed coming here- and maybe he was just… overwhelmed. And he doesn’t know how to deal with it, and its my fault for not understanding and pushing him out.”

“That’s… a lot. Why don’t you, instead, call the hotel, see what time he checked out.”

Mac nods. “What if… what if he left our conversation?”

“Then he’s probably home now, maybe he’s working or something.”

Mac nods, staring at his phone screen, not even open. “What if he’s still here?”

“Then… we can take him out for dinner. We’re going anywyas, aren’t we?”

“I don’t know, I thought we just agreed on the whole netflix and chill thing.”

“What’s more important, Angel?”

Mac shrugs, twirling his phone nervously between his fingers. “I don’t know… I don’t know, what if he doesn’t want to talk?”

“If you’re not ready for this, then… we can just go home, and we can make that speghetti squash that’s been haunting me on the counter.”

“Ohh with the alfredo?”

“Yes, and that amazing spice mix i bought.”

“Mm and we have that leftover rotisserie chicken we can mix in.”

“With a romantic movie.”

Mac smiles. “I like that idea a lot more… I can always call in the morning right?”

“Yeah… you can,” Jasper agrees. “You have more time than you think, Angel.”

“Are you going to tell me about your grandfather again?”

“No… but, generally speaking. You have more time than you think.”

Mac nods. “Are you sure this has nothing to do with your granddaddy?”

“Positive, babe. I wished he was dead… usually.”

Mac nods again, sitting down beside him. “So, you don’t think I should call?”

Jasper takes a deep breath, he didn’t like making calls like this for Mac but he can see Mac is desperate for guidance. What was the right answer here? “I think… you should call tomorrow morning. If he’s there… call him. If he’s not… wait it out.”

“Okay…”

“Or you can call him now, we can have a dinner with him alone.”

“I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Then there’s your answer.”

-Tomorrow- 

Jasper pours Mac a mug of coffee as he settles at the corner table, setting up his reviews, stapling them together. “I have 30 students confirmed to come.”

“Eight of them being your students.”

“The other 4 said we had a study session and they’re studying on their own. So only the 4 lunatics that all think they’re my kids now.”

“Well you did want kids,” Jasper teases, ruffling his hair. “They’re just grown up kids, who are all a little angry and don’t understand physics.”

“See, if I had raised them since they were babies, they would not be angry, nor too dumb to understand physics.”

Jasper laughs, tipping Macs head and kissing him. “Sure,” he says softly. “Father of the year, even if they’re not babies.”

“Thanks. I think Lauren turned out great.”

Jasper smiles, Michelle coming out with the cookies to fill the emptying tray. “Michelle too.”

“Oh yes, Michelle turned out great too.”

“God we sound old.”

“It’s because-”

“Bring up me turning 30 again and we’re going to divorce.”

“See, it’s very sexy for me because I can say I’m married to an  _ older  _ man.”

“I was older than you when we got married. There is no point that I was ever not 2 years older than you.”

“A very valid point but consider this… 30 is a different kind of older. You’ll be grey.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “This conversation is over,” he says, Mac taking his arm before he can walk away. “Yes?”

“One more kiss,” he says, tilting his head up. Jasper leans down, hand on his neck, caressing his throat. He leans in, just barely brushing their lips before pulling away.

“Psych.”

“Cruel! Hey, wait, what did you do with Riley again?”

“I sent her out to do some shopping.”

“What kind of shopping?”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out when it’s time for you to find out.”

“Oh so unassuring…”

“Focus on your students work or else they’ll fail, stop worrying about where Riley went.”

“You keep sending her places.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Jasper calls, walking back to the kitchen, Michelle handling the orders in front of her. Mac gets up to help her, abandoning his own coffee. 

Slowly his core four students shuffle in, talking to each other, huddled together as they stroll in. Mac lets them figure themselves out, helping fulfill the orders. Jasper can be heard in the back singing, the bakery warm, forgiving. The harsh November remained locked outside, as the warm inside was carried in the melody of his husbands voice, in the bells that rang with every finished good. 

Jasper comes out of the kitchen, towel tossed over his perfect shoulder, covered in his fine linen shirt. He takes the orders from Mac, and kisses his head. Students start to pour in. “Set up the coffee pots, I’ve got dinner just about done.”

“You didn’t have to make them dinner,” Mac says.

“They eat out every day, most likely. Theres nobody to provide warm, home cooked, healthy meals for them-”

“They go to NYU, they are surrounded by the best. They have the best at hand, they are near dozens of restaurants-”

“And it’s not the same. Besides, you said you’re still working on Laurens situation. She needs to be helped too.”

“And this is your way of helping.”

“Yeah. I can feed them, you do all the rest. They adore you, they look up to you.  _ She  _ adores you and looks up to you. My role isn’t yours.”

“That’s not true.”

“Sure it is. Besides, we’re trying out some new recipes for thanksgiving on them.”

“There it is,” Mac says. Jasper laughs, kisses him. “I’ll set up the coffee.”

“Oh and- here put up this sign. I imagine you’re going to have a crowded house soon.”

“Should I have done this at the apartment?”

“Likely no. Also we didn’t tidy up this morning.”

Mac nods. “I don’t know, I was a- think tanker,” Mac switches gears quick as Michelle walks in their direction, “for so long. I don’t really know how to hold these things.”

“You’re doing a great job.”

“Hey- do you think they like me more than that asshole?”

Jasper shrugs. “Hey Cassie, do you like Mac more than Melville?”

“Melville is an evil dickwad who wants us all to fail. Also, whoever told me taking Biology and Physics at the same time was a good idea should also go to hell.”

Mac snorts. “You’re biased.”

“I’m not! And he’s kinda creepy.”

“Is he?” Mac asks interested.

“Well yeah,” Lauren says. “Apparently, some girls, you know, do the down and dirty with him to pass his class.”

Collin agrees, and Finn nods. “I heard that too,” Finn says. “That girl Maylin is apparently his bitch.”

Mac makes a face. “I don’t want to know these things. You guys are like babies to me. And that guy is  _ older  _ than me.”

“It’s just a rumor,” Finn provides.

“Is it a valid rumor?”

“I don’t know. That’s just what people say, probably because everyone knows he had a relationship with a student at his last job.”

“How do you guys know that?”

“Rumors that aren’t rumors follow you everywhere,” Cassie says. 

Jasper takes Mac by the shoulders. “You should not stress about that, especially not now.” More students start to filter in, and Macs shoulders droop, tension filtering out as Jasper rubs his shoulders. 

“You’re right…” He takes a deep breath. “Good evening everyone,” he says, more of his students finding their way to the door. He’s quick to set up the coffee and takes the sign to place on the door.  _ Students allowed seating only for Midterm Studying- all other orders, made to go!  _

“Collin, come here. Pass these out,” Mac says, handing him the study packets. “Lauren, pass these out. Both of you wait until we have just about 30, we’re going to start promptly in ten minutes- did everyone hear? We’re going to start in about ten minutes, if you want to start working on the packet, I won’t stop you- Oh! And, My husband was charitable enough to make you all dinner and refreshments on the house.”

“You’re married?” one of his students asks.

“Yes. Happily, he’s- well he was standing here, now he’s not. To everyone just walking in, if you’re a student take a seat. Dinner and refreshments are going to be provided, just take a seat, Lauren and Collin are going to give you the review packets and answer sheets. You’re going to work through them, check your answers, then we’re going to play a few review games.”

“You know how to play review games?” Michelle asks. 

“Uh no, I googled it with Jeremy,” he whispers, leaning over the counter. She laughs, taking the cupcake she kept for herself and smushing some of it on his nose. His nose crinkles, and before he can wipe it off, Jasper comes out holding a tray, kisses his nose.

“God damn my sugar frosting came out amazing!”

Mac laughs. “Did it, or-”

“Dirty, and no. It’s definitely my frosting.”

“Ouch, you’re so mean sometimes.”

Jasper had Michelle clear off the coffee counter earlier, and so he places the hot tray in the open space. Mac watches his students pour in and take seats, eerily on time. He was sure Melville was holding a class, that a group of students who just entered were in. He wasn’t sure if that spoke poorly on him or on Melville, did they just like him? Were his exams too hard?

“Stop overthinking it, everyone hates Melville,” Finn says as if seeing through Mac. “What? Your face is so easy to read.”

“Are you sure?”

“Who here likes Professor Melville?” Lauren yells, standing on her chair. “Come on, show of hands… anyone?”

Jasper stands beside her. “Who here thinks we shouldn’t stand on my nice chairs?”

Everyone raises their hands, and Mac laughs. Lauren pouts. “But they’re fun to stand on- ah!” Jasper lifts her off and plops her on the counter. 

“Stop standing on my chairs.”

“Professor Macgyver-Sheriiiiff your husband is being mean.”

“I saw nothing,” Mac says, going to take his coffee cup and sipping. “The point remains, everyone likes you more,” Finn reiterates.

“You thought we liked Melville more than you?” Stella, a girl from his other Physics-100 asks. “Man he’s the worst.”

“Is it too early to make a spiced apple toddy?” Jasper asks, headed back towards the kitchen again. 

“Yes, actually,” Mac says. “It’s november 5th.”

“But like… it’s beginning to feel like Christmas season”

“What about thanksgiving?”

Jasper squints and shrugs, he leaves the covers on the food, more students pouring in as Mac holds his mug and paces the tables, filling with students. He’s focused on a table in the far left corner, and Jasper smiles, watching Mac talk to them, and show them how to do equations. He finds himself going to the office, finding a little white board he kept in there with the purple marker and goes to hand it to Mac. 

“Oh nice, okay I can work with this.”

Jasper laughs, going to the kitchen, nudging Lauren. “Come help.” She hops off the counter and helps Jasper bring everything out. He takes the hot trays with bare hands, not minding at all the heat. Lauren uses a towel to balance the tray between her much smaller hands, wondering how he was able to hold them without anything. She thinks it's probably just a bakers skill, he dealt with hot trays everyday. She places the tray down, looking around to find Mac, and he was at a table with Kora, and some other kids from their class. 

“Did remember which one was which?” Michelle asks Jasper, who’s arranging the trays. “And also, how much of this is vegetarian?”

“Not all of it- Mac babe, can we use this table too?”

“Your place not mine,” Mac says, hardly looking up from the problem he was helping a student on. Jasper and Michelle go to set up the table, Lauren following, feeling entrusted with a task to help. She didn’t know if she could go behind the counter without permission, Michelle looking back at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Jasper wanted me to help.”

“Well everything is in the kitchen. You can just come on back,” she says. Lauren nods, following Michelle into the kitchen. There’s piping bags filled with icing, cupcakes waiting to be frosted, sugar waiting to dust them, luster dust in their containers. The cabinets were rustic and wooden, the ovens were on and something was baking, filling the air sweetly. There was a pot of hot coffee, fresh and ready, and in a home drip, not like the fancy metal machine outside. She looks around as she waits for an instruction, Michelle hip bumping her before handing her plates. “It’s a kitchen, not Narnia.”

“I’ve never been in a bakery kitchen before.”

“Well, Lauren is going to be working here, so she should familiarize herself,” Jasper says. Michelle looks surprised, and maybe a little jealous, but Jasper just laughs. “No one can replace you Shelly, she’s just going to be an extra hand in the mornings. You won’t even notice.”

Michelle takes the utensil cups and goes to the table, Jasper looking to Lauren. “She’ll come around,” he says. “She just has a hard time taking to people.”

Lauren nods, Jasper going to a small closet in the back of the kitchen and grabbing a gorgeous table cloth. It was wintery, shimmery, perfect, and it matched his silver rings perfectly. He takes it outside, has Michelle lift the cups again and sets up the cloth. A few customers come in, Jasper smiling. There was a lot of noise, chatter, the music from the speakers coming in dimly now from all the commotion. 

“Hello, I’ll be right at the counter- Michelle, you and Lauren keep setting up please.”

Mac is at a table with his students, tapping his pen as he listens to them talk. They were asking questions from their chemistry homework, Mac looking over the questions on the packet. 

“Hey howdy!” He hears from the door, Mac turning around. Jeremy and Helena had come in, Helena in a crazy, colorful boa. Jeremy pulled one out of his bag and wraps it around Macs neck. “Midterm party!” 

“It’s not a partyy,” Mac whines, but he’s clearly not too annoyed. 

“Ugh, yes! Now I can make hot toddy’s.”

“We’re getting Toddy’s?” Helena asks.

“No, because it’s before thanksgiving,” Mac says. “And we have self control in an environment where there are  _ minors.” _

“They’re not minors, they just can’t drink.”

“Actually, Corrina is 17, she’s very smart.”

“So… okay maybe hot toddy’s in the kitchen,” Helena tells Jasper who laughs.

“All the food is labeled and ready to serve, by the way.”

Mac nods. “Let them serve themselves.”

Lauren sits down with her friends in the back corner, and Jasper lets the students start coming up, helping them get settled. Mac can hear one of the boys hasseling Jasper about being vegetarian from all the healthy dishes. This turns into a who lifts more contest, the answer easily Jasper at 700 pounds. Mac, Helena and Jeremy move around the students, helping them, guiding them. 

Jeremy and Helena take up Mac’s table in the back, Michelle at the counter, helping the customers, those who dare to weave in between the college students. Lauren brings Mac a plate, a little bit of everything in it. “Thank you,” he says, smiling. “Go do your work, I’ll make my way over.” 

Everyone sets into a groove of work, Mac making his way around to his students, leaves his food on the counter, Jasper taking it up and bringing it to his table. He refills the tray when need be, makes his customers comfortable. When everyone is set up, he leaves them to the back and starts focusing on the baked goods, refilling the bakery box. Jasper doesn’t stop moving, and Mac only briefly stops to take bites of his plate. 

He steps into the back, Riley coming in. “Your car is fine,” she says, holding a bunch of bags, full of tinsel and decorations. “Are you sure Mac isn’t going to notice?”

“He definitely is, he’s by the table right now. Hide them in the closet back that way. We’ll take them out later.”

“What about the projector?”

“Uhm…” he looks over towards the outside, then goes to shut the door to the kitchen and locks it. “Okay, lets go to the closet, I have a bunch of flour and stuff in there, but we can make space.”

“Are you sure he’s going to like this?”

“Listen, Mac has wanted winter wonderland bakery since two halloweens ago. This is going to be totally perfect. He goes away after thanksgiving with his dad, then we can set up everything.”

Riley nods, looking over and smiling. 

“What?”

“Nothing, just nice that you anticipate me being here after thanksgiving?”

“Were you planning on leaving?”

“No, but if you told me three months ago that you’d want me to be here to work in the bakery with you, I would’ve called bullshit.”

“I don’t know why you want to go back. Ops is good when you’re young- creates mystery and adventure in your life. But you’re going onto 25 this upcoming year, you have a boyfriend, you have 2 brothers with a lot of money. I’ll make sure you get a steady paycheck, a nice place-”

“I don’t know.”

“Just consider it. If not for me, for Mac.”

“Mac doesn’t need me here.”

“Sure he does, he loves having you around.”

She shrugs, Jasper opening the closet and switches on the light. She looks around, holding the bags. Jasper stowes them towards the back. “My dad is in LA,” she notes.

“You don’t have to leave unless you really want to. I’m just saying, we would love to keep you.”

She smiles. “Projector in here too?”

“Yeah, did you get someone to install it?”

“Was I supposed to?”

“We can work it out-”

“Jess? Why’d you lock the door?” Mac calls, knocking gently. 

“Oh he’s so needy sometimes.”

“What do we say?”

“We had an affair,” he teases, the two moving out of the closet, and shutting the door. He goes to open it. “What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing?”

“Do you need something?”

“Hi Riley- and yes I know you weren’t having an affair. What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?”

“Teaching. Do we have wine?”

“No. Minors, remember?”

“Okay but one glass-”

“Babe no-”

“Jeez close the door, it’s cold,” he says, Riley shutting the door. “I thought you went shopping?”

“No,” She says.

“But Jasper said you went to get things-”

“She was reserving our order for next week,” Jasper covers. Mac squints at him but nods. 

“This isn’t like a veterans day surprise is it?”

“No! No… I would never.”

“I will kill you.”

“I remember.”

Mac looks to Riley, who seems just as suspect as Jasper. “Okay, well, Jeremy wants to ask you a question.”

“Sure,” Jasper says, kissing him innocently. “And uh- no wine. Do not slip in and try to take a wine bottle.”

Mac is about to argue but Lauren calls him over. “Professor Macgyver Sheriff! Your answer key is wrong.”

“Where is it wrong?”

“6, 15, 25, 29, 30, 31, and 40 are wrong.”

“Why?”

“Because the answers on here are not the answers I got.”

Jasper cracks up, Macs mouth opening then shutting, then he squints confused, trying not to muse her antics. He walks over and grabs a seat to sit with her. He briefly tunes out of looking at her work, just listening to his husbands voice, and a small smile makes his way to his lips. His heart stings a bit with love until he hears something bang in the kitchen. Jasper perks up immedietely. 

“Stay there-”

“But Riley-”

“Probably fine!” Jasper says. 

“What?”

“Just stay and help Lauren, I have it under control- just pretend to be surprised on the 11th for me, okay?”

“I _ knew _ it.”

“Yes you did babe. Now stay here while I check on Riley.”

“Knew what?” Cassie asks.

“He’s throwing me a veterans day surprise or something,” Mac says, rolling his eyes. “I mean, it’s so pointless for me to celebrate. I was discharged at 21, I worked at a think tank. I didn’t lose any limbs or anything- so many other people deserve that recognition, that… feeling of achievement.”

“You don’t feel achieved?” Lauren asks confused. “You realize like being in the army and coming out sane is pretty much the achievement, right?”

“So many more people deserve a party, they don’t have… half of what I have. They don’t get jobs or… a life, or people who love them. I got Jack, and-”

“Wait, isn’t Jack your dad?” Cassie asks, Collin pointing to her and nodding.

“What? Why do you all think Jack is your dad?”

“Well… you just… hm.”

“I’m okay,” Riley calls, checking in. 

“Very delayed but I’m glad you’re fine,” Mac responds. The door opens to the bakery, Michelle looking up from her phone. Mac looks over, his body tensing up a bit. 

“Quite the party in here, I didn’t know this was a… college spot,” James says, walking towards Mac.

“I thought you left.”

“No, I uh..” James can hear Lauren whispering that ‘ _ thats his real dad’  _ and the four at the table look at him attentively. “I just didn’t want to leave things how they were. And… the lady at the desk said you called and asked about me.”

“I was just… wondering, because of the charge on the card.”

“So you didn’t want to see me?”

Mac doesn’t know what to say, maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. “Right now just isn’t a good time.”

“Right, you’re throwing the homecoming pre-game, they’re just waiting for the keg stand.”

“Midterms review session, but same thing I guess.”

Jasper walks out, holding a glass of sparkling water. He sees James, talking to Mac, the students growing a bit quiet for a moment.

“This is a review session? Wow you must have an awful track record for exams.”

“Or a great one… I mean, it’s just to solidify core concepts and math. Physics is hard for most people.”

“Oh sure.”

“It is.”

“Well… maybe I should go then.”

Mac seems trapped, their professor who was so fun, seemingly invincible most of the time, was peculiarly small. “You  _ could  _ stay.”

“Who’s the dude?” one of the boys asks from the back. 

“Uhh this is my dad. Fruit of his loins equaaalls me,” he says, doing awkward jazz hands. 

“So uh… I have wine,” Jasper cuts in before anyone can ask about Jack. “No Lauren, you can’t have any. Any other underage child who suggests it will be subjected to a time out in a corner.”

“They’re 19 and 20,” Jeremy says, glancing to Mac and James. “You uh… look alike.”

James nods. “Sure, I bet he told everyone here he didn’t have a dad.”

“No just that he sucks,” Collin says. “I agree if you thought this was a kegger.”

“Collin!” Lauren smacks him with her papers. “You can’t say things like that. And you thought Jack was his dad until 10 minutes ago.” 

“Okay uhm… can we go talk in the office?” Mac says, looking to Jasper who nods. 

“You need his permission?” James asks. 

“He’s throwing me a surprise party, just making sure I’m allowed in there.”

Jasper nods. “And maybe we should be mindful of what we say in front of people who look up to and respect him,” Jasper says sharply. “Go to the office, I’ll take care of the students.”

“Sure,” Mac says. He takes his dad to the office, locking the door behind him. “You have awful timing.”

“Jasper told me not to show up at your job.”

“Oh…”

“I don’t think you’d take well to that.”

“Well… not really. Uhm… I’m sorry if my students seem sore towards you.”

“You told them I suck?”

“No, I don’t really talk about my personal life. I think I just… I mean a lot to them, they think I’m in distress, they defend me. That’s all.” 

“So you don’t talk about me at all then? I don’t know what hurts more.”

“They’re my students, not looking to get down about my life with them. I mean if you want to know what I have to say about you, I’m sure Jasper could provide details.”

“Your friends seemed surprised. The two around your age.”

“Oh uh… I don’t know, it’s just awkward. I mean, we have a lot of history between us.”

“We said we’d swipe the slate clean.”

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. When people ask about you or why we don’t talk… I mean you don’t make yourself known either. Jack visits me at work, he brings me lunch, he sits in on my classes-”

“He lives next door.”

“He was there for me,” Mac says. “He was there to see a lot of big moments happen through me. Life, and death, and falling in and out of love. If I hurt, he was there to hold me. He was the one who held me two nights before my wedding when I cried my lungs out thinking you weren’t going to come.”

“Oh come on-”

“It happened. It all happened. Wiping the slate clean means forgiving you regardless that it did… it’s not easy for me to introduce someone who feels so temporary in my life. Then they see you as the bad guy.”

“Kids live far from their parents all the time.”

“Yeah but their guardians don’t usually live next door.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You keep coming to me, I’m assuming to apologize. But you never do. You just degraded my husbands whole business and suggested I was allowing underage kids to drink, meanwhile degrading me, their professor, in front of them. Do you care at all how that looks on me? It just… it doesn’t seem like you’re trying to apologize.”

“I want to apologize.”

Mac shrugs, waiting. 

“And I want to be apart of your life.”

“I want you to be apart of it.”

“I’m sorry for hurting you the other night.”

“I’m sorry for lashing out yesterday morning.”

“What can I do to… change our situation?” 

Mac shrugs. “You can go home. I’ll call…”

“Wha-”

“I apologized…” 

“And I have a room full of students who will probably be here until they have to sleep in the library or I have to beg public safety to let them into their dorms.”

“Right…”

“I will call… Just have to answer.”

“I can visit next week, Friday.”

Mac nods, seeming to think about it. “Sure, we’ll talk about it.”

“Let me visit-”

“Fine,” Mac says before going back on and putting on his best smile for his students, if only a little awkward. Jasper steps out from behind the counter, handing off the order to Michelle. “I’m okay,” he promises. 

“Okay…” Jasper says. “Hot apple toddy’s are on the stove…”

“Couldn’t help yourself?” Mac whispers, already visibly perking up and Jaspers shoulders hike up in defense of himself, Mac dismissively waving a hand at him. He goes back to Lauren.

“Collin fixed it,” She said, poking at a vegetable on her plate.

“Vegetables are good for you, Lauren.”

“There are so many though and nothing here is fried.”

“Jasper has rarely fried anything.”

“Tell that to those-” Jasper starts, Mac stopping him. 

“Unless it pertains to tomatoes balled up with cheese and made for me.” 

“He fries pizza.”

“Capris Salad.”

“Wow, even the food he fries is fancy,” Collin says. “Why didn’t we get that?”

“He made it two nights ago. We can’t eat fried foods twice a week.”

“Are you serious?”

“Uhh yeah.”

“You don’t eat fried foods twice a week?”

“We’re also opposed to synthetic sugars and we only eat the healthy chips that come from whole foods, the one that are  _ only  _ baked and labeled organic and kosher certified.”

“Crazy, can’t imagine.”

“Yeah, if you told 19 year old me that I’d marry a health nut and willingly give up commercial chocolate, I’d say the same thing.” 

“You what?”

“Give up on the chocolate Mac,” Jasper says. 

“How can you live like this?” Collin asks. James finally leaves the office, hearing this. “I mean it’s abhorant, abusive. Jasper-  _ sir,  _ actually nevermind.”

“What are we talking about?” James asks.

“Jasper and I have cut out commercial candy and the bad stuff that goes with it,” Mac explains. “A very foreign concept to my students.”

He nods. “I’m going to leave.”

“I’ll call later as promised.”

James leaves, Mac watching him go, not walking him out. Everyone is quiet, and Mac looks around as everyone around the room watches him go. A walk of shame, right out the door. Riley looks to Mac who smiles awkwardly, vaguely her way. 

“Okay, so are we all almost done? Sooner you guys finish, sooner we can play a game.”

Jeremy laughs from across the room. “They’re cool games too!”

“What he said! We’re super cool and we have super cool games.”

“Not jeopardy.”

“Yeah, not jeopardy.” 

“Could’ve been worse,” Jasper says later as they clean up. Mac nods, Lauren asleep on the table, not responding to Collin as he tries to shake her. Cassie and Finn long went back to school with a bunch of others, Lauren didn’t want to leave. 

“Yeah… My dad is coming next Friday.”

“Oh… are you okay with that?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Jasper nods, rubbing his arm, and Mac turns to him, putting down the plates, opening his arms a bit. Jasper gets the hint, pulls him into a tight hug. Mac melts into his arms, head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. His fingers tighten on the material, trying to let his body find relief. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I want to believe that.”

“You didn’t.”

Mac nods. “I just… I wish I had answers when it came to him.”

“You do have answers.”

“I do?” Mac asks, looking up confused. 

“Yeah… right here,” Jasper says, tapping over his heart and Mac rolls his eyes, head falling back. “What?”

“You really gotta try harder than that.”

“It’s true!”

“Introspection is not going to give me answers about him.”

“It could give you answers on what you really want. That’s all I want for you, to know what you want and be happy to admit it.”

Mac smiles, leaning forward to kiss him. Riley walks in, clearing her throat loud. Jasper goes to pull away and Mac leans in kissing him again, mostly poking fun at Riley, a mischevious smile coming to his lips. 

“You’re joking right?”

“I’m kissing my husband. Do you mind?”

“Yes!”

“So leave,” Mac teases, Jasper laughing, kissing his cheek. 

“We’ve gotta clean up, and there’s two children who need a place to crash just outside.”

“Fine, fine,” Mac agrees with Jaspers statement, kissing him once more time, Jaspers lips still puckered as they part. He purses his lips, arms cold when Mac leaves, wanting to pull him back in, hug him so tight. He knows Mac knows it’ll be okay, but he just wishes he could whisper it to him in every language, in every possible turn of the phrase. 

He watches him go, Riley cleaning up. Jasper starts to put any baked goods he left out away. The counters are wiped down, the plates are washed. Everything is put away, put together. Dough is prepped for tomorrow. Croissants are made, danish dough prepared. Things are packed, tables are cleaned, chairs are propped up on the tables. 

They all get into the car, Mac sinking into the chair, his eyes final shut. Rest seeps into his bones as soft music plays, as Jasper drives them home. Mac and Lauren practically have to be lugged outside, Collin watching as his professor tucks himself into the purple coat of his husband, hand tucked deep behind the fabric, face smushed on his shoulder. 

“Tired,” he mutters.

“I know,” Jasper whispers, focus on Mac, eyes soft on him. 

“Sleep.”

“Almost upstairs,” he promises, the elevator binging every floor they touch on. It leads right upstairs to their floor. The elevator is quiet, almost silent. Riley leans against the banister, Lauren leans against Collin, Collin watches Mac and Jasper, interested in his professor. He hardly ever thought of him as a person outside of his job. He saw him in his office, in class. He saw him grade, he saw him eat a salad, he liked lattes. But he never really thought of him as someone who went home to someone, who slept in the same bed as them, who had complications in life. Who… hated his dad, and needed protection from what the world could do to him. 

They reach the floor, the elevator opening. The five of them go towards the house, and Collin looks around. He was used to high life, he grew up in high life. He’d study and end up working the family business. He’d never do what he wanted, just do what looked good. He’d make money, he’d start a family, he’d expect the same of his kids. They’d probably hate each other, the same way him and his siblings hated each other. 

Their house was homey, nice. There’s a dog on the couch, and Jack was with it, the dog rushing to meet Mac. Mac perks up, leaning over and kissing the dog’s head.

“Hi cad, hello… Jack take good care of you baby? Awh I missed you too,” he coos softly, rubbing her down happily. Jasper lingers, Riley moving in towards Jack and collapsing on the couch with him. 

“Tired, all of you?”

They all nod. 

“Kids. Lets get you set up, who wants the bed, who wants the couch?”

“We can share,” Lauren says. “I’m gay remember?”

“She’s not my type, anyways. I like my girls a little ugly.”

Lauren snorts. “You’re ridiculous.”

“It’s true. It’s very exotic.” 

Mac shakes his head. “Interesting concept,” he offers. “Maybe you just have no game.”

“Rude, i think I deserve an A on that midterm.”

“You’re going to get an A whether I hand it to you or not,” Mac says. Collin shakes his head, leans against the wall. 

“Where are your friends?” Lauren asks.

“Oh she lives in Boston, they went back home… Riley take Lauren upstairs and get ready for bed.”

Riley nods, tugging her along, the house quiet and sleepy. Jack trudges up, Jasper in the kitchen putting dishes away. “You okay?” Jack asks.

“Yeah… I’ll talk to you tomorrow, it was a weird night.”

Jack points to the boa under Macs coat and he nods. “I can tell.”

“We had a midterm party. Real kegger.” 

Jack ruffles his hair, Collin watching the two. “Hey, did you know you’re not his real dad?”

“Lauren said the same thing to me. Two peas in a pod you two.” 

Collin laughs. “Don’t tell her that… She doesn’t like knowing that.”

Mac smiles, standing up and hugging Jack. Cadmium hops up on Jacks leg, whining for attention. “Long day?” Jack asks.

“Could’ve been longer. Was Cad good?”

“Oh she was fine. No mishaps on this side of town.” 

Jasper walks in, offering Jack the leftovers plate he brought. “Thanksgiving pregame. There’s some cauliflower gratin, green bean casserole, creamed asparagus, and mashed potatoes.”

“Nice, you really outdid yourself. And it’s all… relatively normal.”

“Well I was also thinking-”

“Don’t ruin it,” Jack says. “I told Bozer you weren’t going to create a vegan thanksgiving.”

Jasper looks a bit confused. “I’m not vegan.”

“You sure act like it.”

“I just want to us to lead long, healthy lifestyles. That includes you, Jack. Besides, thanksgiving is meant for being thankful, not how many calories can you stuff in eight hours.”

“But so be it that I don’t get rocky road cookies, it’s the couch that you’ll be sleeping on.”

Jasper laughs. “Good job, Mac. really on my side.”

“I  _ am.  _ I just don’t mind eating an abnormal amount of calories that may or may not involve your cookies on Thanksgiving.”

“And the strawberry lemon cheesecake,” Jack muses, Mac humming.

“Oh, do you remember last year, he made that mashed potato casserole instead of just regular potatoes?”

“Mmm, I do. See? Ultimate cheat day, don’t give up on us now.”

Jasper laughs, Whiskey coming out of the shadows and mewling for attention. Jasper takes her into his arms and kisses her. “Yes, I know, Mr. Jack is very bad,” he coos. “Lets go to bed, Whiskey...”

“If my dog can’t be in the bed, your cat  _ definitely  _ can’t be in bed.”

Collin laughs, watching Jasper disregard him and go upstairs, cooing at his beautiful, caramel and black colored cat, her eyes warm like whiskey. Jack bids them goodnight, wishes Mac good luck with his midterms. Mac smiles, looks to Collin who’s staring at his phone. 

“What's up?” he asks. 

“Oh uh… nothing. Just… you know, sucks that your dad sucks.”

He laughs. “Well that’s what we have Jack for.”

Collin nods. “Maybe I should find myself a Jack.”

“Why? You don’t get along with your dad?”

“He’s okay. I don’t really think he cares about me. He’s very… interested in his business. My sister married a rich guy, I’m going to be the rich guy. He asks how school is, I say good. He tells people that I’m following in his footsteps as if it’s not the only option I had.” He shrugs. “He’s not really a bad guy. Just… never feels like he’s there.”

“Yeah… I get that. My dad left when I was 10, came back when I was like 24.”

“So two years ago.”

“Yeah. But… you figure it out, the people you belong with. You just have to go through all that- the falling in love, the fallout with friends. Making friends, losing friends, figuring yourself out… It’s all part of the deal. Trust me, I went through the whole thing. Not that I was very popular, but everyone loved my best friend Bozer. And I went through the motions with him, he made and lost friends, some of them liked me, some of them thought I was a total freak. The whiz kid who was too young to be talking to them. Parents thought I wasn’t raised well, I hopped between homeschooling with my grandfather and going back home and living with Bozer. Then I went to MIT at 16, and now I was the baby on campus. There were freshmen and then there was  _ me.  _ You know?”

Collin laughs. “Jeez, I can’t even imagine being in college at 16.”

“Yeah, I gangly, and usually angry, and I never really wanted to do anything.”

“I can’t imagine you being angry. You’re like the nicest guy ever.”

Mac smiles. “Yeah… but everything upset me then. I was like you, thought I had nobody in the world. But you do… more than you think.”

“Lauren said you had really bad advice, but I feel enlightened.”

“Don’t get use to it. This is rare for me, I’m usually too awkward to come up with good advice.”

Collin laughs. “You usually give us good advice.”

“About stuff that's easy to give advice on. Like school, that’s easy, you know? But life is… hard, there’s a lot I don’t really have figured out yet. And a lot I might never figure out. But… I don’t know watch Rocky Balboa, soak up the advice in that. Jack loves quoting that.”

“You lead such an interesting life.”

“It’s really not that interesting. I mean, my life used to be a lot more interesting, when I was think tanking. I always got to do experiments and travel, go on crazy adventures.”

“Now you’re just a physics professor.”

“And married,” He teases. “With a dog.”

Collin laughs. “Do you regret it?”

“Not for a second,” Mac says without hesitation. “I joke that my life is boring but just because I’m not sky diving or jumping off planes or in the desert, doesn’t mean it’s so bad. I have you guys, you’re crazy and fun. And I have a life that is… totally fun in a different way.”

“Like wine nights?”

He laughs. “My husband is a first generation french American.  _ Every  _ night is wine night. It’s like the ultimate cure for anything ever. Sad? Wine and mama mia. Headache? Wine. Under the weather? Wine.”

“He really does fit into high society.”

Mac smiles. “Yeah... And before you ask, no you can’t have wine.”

“Damn… But it’ll make me very confident about taking my exam.”

Mac rolls his eyes. “Up, time for bed.”

Collin came in sweats and insists it’s fine, goes to the room where Lauren is talking with Riley. Mac leaves them, going to the bedroom where Jasper is laying on the floor, whisky on his chest. She was purring happily, Jasper looked tired. He shuts the bedroom door and then locks it. Jasper glancing over, his dark eyes peeking out from mostly shut lids. 

“You out did yourself,” he says. “The dinner was great, the kids were happy.”

“Yeah? Not so bad yourself.”

“My dad wants to come over, not this friday but the one after.”

“And you said?”

“I’d call him.” 

Jasper nods, Mac laying down next to him. Whiskey looks at him, her eyes narrowing. “I married him, you mean cat,” Mac defends. 

“Are you jealous of my cat?”

“She doesn’t like me.”

“That’s not true, right Whiskey?” 

Whiskey purrs and Mac smiles at the two. He kisses Jaspers cheek. “I’m going to get ready for bed.” 

“Hey… you should ask him to come to Thanksgiving Dinner.”

“My dad?”

“Yeah. He wants to be apart of your life… that includes holidays. Especially if we’re hosting.” 

“I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t wait too long, then he’ll know it’s last minute.” 

“I won’t… I hope not.”

“He wants to be there.”

“Maybe.”

“He would…” 

“I’ll talk to him… I just, I need a bit of time I think.”

Jasper nods, rubbing Whiskey’s back as she purrs on his chest. “Take all the time you need. He’ll forgive you, Mac. You just have to forgive him too.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“Everything is hard, just gotta make it work out for you.”

“That’s what she said.”

Jasper laughs, getting up and putting the cat on one of the arm chairs. “At the end of the day, your life should involve what makes you happy. You don’t have to be super close with him, or get to know him really well. You’ll never have with him what you have with Jack. Just… be there for him until he gets better.”

“What if he doesn’t get better?”

“At least you got to know him. Right?” 

“Yeah I guess..” Mac admits, wrapping his arms around him. “I just want things to work out… And I don’t know, it just feels like lately not much has really worked out.”

“If this is about the adoption rejections, that will work out too. It will.” 

The week blurs by, between midterms and cakes. Riley goes on a date or two with her new beau. Everything is rather calm, normal. Friday comes around, and Riley is out on a date, Jack was in his own apartment taking a shower. 

There were snow flurries, falling outside the triumph, the world outside cold on just November 9th, and the world inside the triumph was warm. At the back corner table, Jasper had a warm mug of coffee, and a tangerine. He delicately takes a slice, the juice from the tangerine running down his finger, mingling around his rings that dance in the warm light. Mac comes out of the office, Jasper taking the slice between his lips, eyes focused on a book folded at the spin. He was in a glimmering black shirt, the red glitter matching his ruby and silver rings, the only gold one being his wedding ring. 

“It’s awfully quiet today.”

“Yeah… it’s weird not having Riley or Michelle around.”

Mac nods, wrapping his arms around Jaspers neck, kissing the side of his head. “And the bakery is empty.”

“The snow scares people, not just California boys.”

Mac laughs, kissing the side of his head again affectionately. “Snow doesn’t scare me anymore. I am well acquainted to the snow.”

“Yeah? Go outside.”

“I need my coat and gloves.”

“I didn’t say you were going outside long.”

“But- oh I see, okay. Maybe I’m just a little scared of the snow.”

“Someone once told me that fish who swim in temperate waters can adapt to the tropical. But tropical fish have a much harder time.”

“Meaning?”

“You’re my tropical fish… I should’ve moved you to hawaii.”

“Nooo, not true. I like the snow,” Mac says, letting him go and standing back. “I am going to go stand outside, in the snow, no coat. Look- this is me, going to stand outside,” he says, turning to look at Jasper who sits there watching him. 

“Well go on,” he says, laughing. Mac looks outside, then Back at Jasper, washed in the warm light of the bakery. For a minute, he sees Jasper how others might see him: gentle, gorgeous, stunning and shimmering in every way, his dark eyes gleaming so happily as he watches Mac. 

Mac nearly reaches the door when it opens, Mac turning around. It was their adoption Lawyer, John. “Hey! See? Snow is good luck.”

“I wouldn’t uh… get too excited,” John says. 

“What? Why?” Mac asks, Jasper getting up, grabbing a napkin and wiping his hands. 

“You guys were denied for the baby. The adoption clinic said they don’t think you two are suited to be parents.”

Jasper looks to Mac who’s face falls. Jaspers jaw drops a bit, and he looks to Mac. “You’re joking right.”

“Yeah, I mean we had a great interview, the mom really-”

“She didn’t,” John says. 

“What? That’s- that’s not true. She did,” Jasper says, panic seeping into his voice. 

“No, I’m just going to be frank with you- they think that a gay couple is not suited to-”

“Why? We have  _ everything  _ a child needs,” Mac steps in vigorously. “Do they think that or do you? I mean it’s your job to stand  _ for  _ us, or did you forget who was paying you to manage all of this? Is that too hard for you?”

“Listen, I know you’re upset-”

“Upset? You’re a failure at your job. You have no concept of morals, you’re literally the worst lawyer I’ve ever come into contact with. Do you know how many lawyers I’ve had before you? None. That’s how awful you are.”

“You don’t have to-”

“This is your fault. You ruined our chances, you let them say that, you didn’t stand for us-”

“I didn’t have a-”

“You did! You  _ had  _ a choice. You could’ve done something and you didn’t. Instead you chose to come here and-”

“We can find a better clinic, Mr. Sheriff. You don’t want to work with people like that-”

“We?”

“Yes, I can find you a-”

“You think you still  _ work  _ for us?”

“Mac,” Jasper whispers. “Maybe we should hear him out-”

“No! We did everything right. We have the right house, more money than most applicants, we have steady jobs, and the right lifestyle. Being gay isn’t a good enough excuse for him to walk in here and tell us- You’re fired. You’re through. Get  _ out  _ before I ensure you never get a job again.”

John looks to Jasper and he gestures towards the door, his heart in his throat. “You heard my husband. He knows how to turn you into ashes, so I wouldn’t linger too long,” he says softly. Mac follows him out, locks the door and sets the sign to closed. The harsh grey light from outside fills the room as Mac switches the lights off. He turns and he’s never seen his husband look so lonely, as the dark falls over his shoulders, the white light paints his brown eyes pale. The world falls and ends around them, only thick static air between them. 

“I can drive home,” he says, and Jasper nods, eyes filling with tears. 

“Mac…” 

Mac just nods, an understanding formed between them. He steps forward and Jasper wraps his arms around him. Mac rests his head on Jaspers shoulder, feeling Jasper lean down and his tears fill the skin of his neck. Mac hugs him tight. They fall apart in each others arms, sinking to the floor in their tears. Mac felt a lot like neirobe, except he had no children to drown with his tears. 

The hours tick by, and it seems the longer they know, the more strength Jasper has, whereas Mac can’t quite seem to cope with it. He watched as Jasper immediately crumbled. He was initially overcome with a grief that fueled Macs own loss of strength and onslaught of tears. Though while Jaspers tears dried, and his strength returned, as he somehow picked himself up and wiped down the tables and got his chores done, mindless and his eyes were empty. But he got up. And he drove them home. 

Mac leans on him as they walk into the room. Grief, the way it always did with him, whittled its way into his core and overcame him slowly. His mind worked away at every fault of his, the world around him becoming soundless. All he heard were his own thoughts. What did he do wrong? What was he missing? How could people be so cruel? His mind digs one hole after another, going deeper and deeper, trudging in mud as water drudges up from the dirt, covering him in his failure to get through to the adoption people, covering him to his knees as he drowns in his thoughts. The water only fills, the holes becoming one big pond. It all read  _ perceived incapable.  _

“Mac?”

“What?” Mac asks startled. 

“I said you didn’t get your Friday cheesecake.”

“Oh… I don’t want any.”

“Are you sure? They’re open another three hours, I have plenty of time to-”

“How are you over it?”

“What?”

“You just got up and cleaned the bakery, and now you’ve moved on. You’re asking me about cheesecake.”

“It was one homophobic agency.”

“Who said we weren’t fit for parenting. Can’t they tell other people that?”

“Sure, but… we can prove otherwise. We can find other agencies and… It’s not that I don’t care, you know that right?”

“I know,” Mac says softly.

“I do care.”

“I know.”

“And I want you to be happy…”

“I just need time right now. I just… I really thought we had a chance.” 

“We still have a chance.”

“Do we?”

“I know it doesn’t seem like- hey come on, don’t give me that baby face,” Jasper says, Macs eyes welling with tears, his lip jut out just a bit, shaking. “Noo come on, we do have a chance. It really isn’t that bad. It’s just-”

“Not meant to happen now, right? That’s what you’re going to say? And then what? We wait our whole lives, maybe get another cat, and we’ll just keep saying that?”

“I did everything I could, Mac!”

“I know.”

“So don’t make it sound like my fault. We tried, we did, and we can keep-”

Mac has a few tears spilling over his cheeks and nothing Jasper is saying is helping. Jasper takes a deep breath. “I just-”

Mac shakes his head. 

“It’s going to work out. Things will work out.”

“Just doesn’t feel like that right now,” Mac says, trying to wipe his tears. Jasper steps forward to take Mac into his arms, and Mac lets Jasper hold him, resting his cheek into his shoulder. “You don’t have to care.”

“I wanted that baby too…”

Mac nods, resting against Jasper. “I know.”

Jasper kisses the side of Macs head, the two quiet for a long while. Jasper goes to say something but Mac just pulls away. He grabs his bathrobe and goes to the bathroom, shuts the door soundlessly. Jasper nods, goes downstairs and takes Cadmiums leash to walk her. Jack is coming out of his apartment, and Jasper gives him a half smile before leaving without saying much, taking cadmium downstairs. She follows, blissfully unaware of what burdens them. 

Jack looks to Jasper perplexed, stepping into their penthouse. The house is quiet, and the lights aren’t on. He checks the kitchen to find nothing had changed from breakfast that morning, and he walks into the living room, only a lamp flicked on. Mac wasn’t there, no coffee had been made. He looks around, standing in the center of the house, looking for the signs of a fight, of collapse. But there was nothing there but silence. 

Mac jumps at the sight of Jack in his room, hugging Jaspers sweatshirt to his naked torso. “What are you doing in here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Where’s Jess?”

“He went for a walk with the dog.”

“Has he been gone this whole time?”

“Is that… wrong?”

“I don’t know- I just, is he okay?”

“Should he be?”

“I hope he is.”

“Is there a reason to think-”

“Stop talking,” Mac says, searching for his phone, the shirt half on as he struggles to find the phone and dress himself. 

“Man what’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I just… where did my phone go? I could’ve swore I just-”

“Mac? Oh, and Jack.”

“Your home.”

“I just got home,” Jasper says. “Cadmium made friends with another dog outside, and well, we ended up walking with that dog and it’s owner for a few blocks.. Uhm- so- did you two want to eat?”

“I’m okay.”

“You haven’t eaten in hours,” Jasper says.

“I just don’t really want to eat.”

“What’s going on?” Jack asks, watching Jasper leaning against the doorway, silence befalling them, Jasper looking down at the floor. Mac doesn’t look in any particular place either. His eyes trace to Jasper and Jaspers rings wrap on the wooden doorframe. 

“So, I think I’ll go-”

“Are you fighting?”

“No,” Mac says almost instantly. “Nobody is fighting.”

“What’s going on?”

Mac looks to Jasper, Jack watching his lips turn into a frown, sadness clouding his face. “Did someone die?” Jack asks. “Someone we know? Someone you’re friends with?” 

“No… Uhm-”

“Jack, why don’t you come downstairs,” Jasper says. 

“No, I’m not leaving Mac alone up here-”

Mac looks helpless. “It’s okay babe…”

“Are you sure?”

Mac steps forward, hand delicately settling on Jaspers chest. “Why don’t you go make something simple. Grilled cheese or something,” he says softly. Jasper gets it, about 20 minutes out of the room, time for him to talk to Jack. 

“Okay… And tomato soup?”

“And tomato soup,” Mac says softly, Jasper pecking him softly. 

Jasper goes downstairs, leaving Mac and Jack in a room alone. Mac leans against the door after shutting it, the double doors creaking a bit under his weight. 

“Mac?”

“We have been trying to adopt a baby since July. And today our lawyer came and told us we were not fit to be parents because we are a gay couple. They denied all of applications within a week of getting them… we’ve only had a couple interviews out of all of the applications we sent… I just..”

Jack feels his shoulders sag, going over and pulling Mac into a hug. “You aren’t unfit to be parents, and you know that.”

“I know.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know… we haven’t talked about it yet. I just… I want to crawl into bed, never leave.”

“You have to talk to him eventually.” 

“I know… I want to but… It just…” Mac pouts, his eyes puffy and rimmed red, same with his nose. 

“Maybe you should wait to talk to him.” 

He nods, Jack tucking him into bed. “You know… You two probably aren’t ready for it anyways,” he soothes. “Got your hands full with life… those college kids, the bakery. You guys are young, you’ve got so much time.”

“She was going to be the perfect baby.”

“No baby is perfect,” Jack says, rubbing his shoulder. “They’re loud, they cry a lot. And imagine this whole mess with your dad, combined with a baby.”

“Messy,” Mac says, sniffling.

“Yeah, real messy, hoss.”

“Babies are gross.”

“They are.”

“And they cry all night.”

“Yeah they do. Nice to squish… hard to deal with.”

“And we have time.”

“Yeah… puppies are usually a good place to start… and don’t leave Jasper waiting. You don’t know what you got until you lose it. You know? You push that man away- well he’s been hurt too much for him to be easy to get back.”

Mac nods, breaking down into a sob anyways, Jack holding him tight to his chest, laying down next to him. His kid needs him, he wasn’t about to go anywhere. There was no shame. No boundaries. No fears. Mac trusted him to protect him, and he promised he would, through every problem. He lets Mac cry his heart out, Jasper peaking in and going downstairs again. Jack rubs Macs back, holding him until he falls asleep. He looked so much younger, like a little kid again. Jack rubs his shoulder, tucks him in tight, and then leaves him to sleep. 

In her 4 months here, she had never woke up on a Saturday to find no pancakes. Jasper had never woken up and had breakfast alone, let alone made no pancakes. He was sitting at the table with an egg, and he wasn’t dressed, just in his pajamas. She looks, but Mac is nowhere to be found. They had been asleep before 11 yesterday, and the house was totally silent to her surprise. 

“Uh… is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Uh… are you sure?”

“Hey, why don’t you see if your boyfriend is free today. Or go by Jack. Mac needs to be alone.”

“Wha-”

“He’s just not feeling very good.”

“Are you sure everything is okay?”

Jasper nods, his fork digging into the egg. “Everything is fine.”

“Oh… uh okay…” she says, walking back upstairs. 

Behind the double doors, Mac is awake, eyes heavy as he sluggishly looks up at the ceiling, arms sprawled over the pillows, blankets precariously thrown over his body. Whiskey has climbed onto the bed, meows at him as she sniffs his face. He wants to say  _ so now you like me?  _ But he can’t get the words out. He shuts his eyes, letting Whiskey sniff his face. 

What Jack says rings in his mind. He sits up, looking for his phone. He didn’t want to speak to Jasper until he was sure of what he wanted. Did they really want kids, or was it just because people were asking, it was expected of them? Maybe Jasper was right, it just wasn’t the right time for them. 

He sits up, Whiskey making home along his side and staring at him with her wide hazel eyes. Mac smiles at her as best as he can. He grabs a notebook from his bedside and a pen, and he starts working on a pro/con list. The more he thinks, the more reasons he thinks his current life would be better off without a baby. 

Little did he know Jasper was downstairs doing the same thing.

It was about 2 PM now, and Mac has finally left bed, washed his face and is now going to change, Jasper walking into the bedroom. “I made you something to eat,” he says tensely and Mac smiles. 

He walks over and takes the plate, putting it over on the table by their arm chairs. Jasper followed closely behind. “We have to talk.”

“It’s okay if you’re still… processing.”

“No,” Mac says. “I mean… I could be but… that’s counterproductive.”

“This isn’t something that hasn’t to be productive.”

“It is though… because I will just beat myself up about it for weeks, and after my dad we promised not to let that happen again.”

“I know… but we were just told… about the baby thing and that’s… a lot.”

“Are you okay?” Mac asks, taking him by the arms. 

Jasper nods. “Yeah. I uhm… I’ve been thinking and I know you might not agree,” Jasper says, leading him to the bed, and they sit on the edge, “but I think that this is really a blessing in disguise- I mean we are much less likely to divorce without a child.”

“Oh? was that high on your priority list?” Mac teases, though his voice is somber. 

“No but like once we’re 35 we’re stuck for life, so that’s prime time to adopt.”

“Uh huh…” Macs eyes light up a bit, watching Jasper justify his answer, not knowing Mac agrees. 

“And without a baby we can do plenty of things.”

“Such as…”

“Go on a summer long romantic vacation in vintage European vacation spots. You can’t drink your way through Europe if you have a baby, or enjoy the beach with a baby, or even really like being on a plane- as much as you can like being on a plane really- if you have a-”

“Baby,” Mac says with him. “And we’re less likely to completely mess up an entire human being if we don’t have one.”

“Sure. Or, without kids, we would have all the time in the world on a Saturday afternoon to compete in Mario Cart on a new nintendo switch.”

“You got us a switch?” Mac asks, suddenly excited.

“No but we got an ad in the mail that they’re on sale in that shop on 6th.. Really enticing right?”

“God, fuck kids. We really wanted kids?”

“Right? Then we’d have to share our switch.”

“And we’d have to whisper instead of yell about how much we hate each other every time one of us loses.”

“And we can’t have wine nights anymore.”

“Or have really loud sex.”

“We haven’t had really loud sex in about 4 months,” Mac points out.

“Imagine Riley but crying most hours of the day.”

“Changing diapers sounds awful.”

“Which one of us would leave our job?”

“How long are you even supposed to leave for?”

“What were we thinking in July?”

“All our couple friends at that fourth of July party had cute little babies and then were wondering why we didn’t, and on the drive home we went ‘oh it’d be so cute to have a baby’ and we’re stubborn, so we stubbornly committed to the idea.”

“And we were fools then, weren’t we?”

“Maybe.”

“It still sounds okay… to be dads.”

“But maybe when the timing is right… and we feel ready, and have maybe more than one answer about the whole thing.”

“And a nintendo switch doesn’t sound better than a baby.”

“Yeah you’re right…” Mac looks up at Jasper and nudges him. “It’s not stupid to still be sad though, right?”

“No… everything inside me hurts, you know? But… I was raised to digest things as quickly as possible and move on. Clinically and unemotionally, that’s what I was taught. Years of therapy and I still… compartmentalize at super speed. But I still…” he takes a deep breath and Mac nods, leaning forward, cupping the side of Jaspers face. 

“I know babe…”

“But we’re going to be okay,” Jasper whispers.

“Damn right we are. And you are not divorcing me.”

“I couldn’t live any life that you’re not in, and if you don’t know that by now… well I’ll have to drill it into you for the rest of our lives.”

Mac smiles, kissing him softly. “Go shave, we have a switch to get.” 

Jasper nods, kissing Mac again. “I kicked Riley out.”

“Sorry I already showered,” he says, exaggerating a wince, making Jasper laugh. “But keep her out past ten and I will consider taking my clothes off for you.”

“Mac…”

“Hm?”

“We’re okay right…”

“Yeah… I wasn’t angry at you last night… You did everything right, you did everything you could. If anything, you should be mad at me, I totally lost it at our lawyer.”

“Ex lawyer.”

“Yeah… Ex Lawyer.”

“I don’t know… I think Agent Sheriff would’ve been very proud of that little moment you had.”

“I yelled at him.”

“He deserved it.”

Mac nods. “Maybe he did.”

“I thought it was very sexy of you.”

“Did you now?”

“In any other circumstances, I would’ve considered closing the blinds.”

“Liar,” Mac teases. “Go shave, come on.”

“Okay, okay,” Jasper laughs, Mac getting up and trying to tug Jasper off the bed. “Okayokayokay okay.”

“Another plus about not having a baby, I get to hang out with you all alone,” he says, smiling a bit and Jasper smiles too. “Did you make pancakes?”

“No, I made you sad vodka pasta that’s on the table. Remember?”

“No pancakes?”

“No cheesecake equals no Saturday pancakes. Consider it pregame for me beating your ass in mario kart all night.”

“No chance, I am the game king, we discussed this already. Just admit that you will never be better than me at any game.”

“You say that, but I am really good at Mario Kart. We’ve never played Mario Kart together.”

“Yeah but I have beat you at every other game we’ve ever played. Candy land? Crushed you. Sorry? Not sorry that you suck at it. Monopoly-”

“I won a few times.”

“Because you cheated babe.”

“No I didn’t!”

“Really gonna fight me right now?”

“Those are board games. I am  _ great  _ at Mario Kart, okay? You’re going to eat your words.”

-Later, like 5 PM -

Riley’s eyes widen as she walks through the door and hears yelling. A full on screaming match and it was violent. She’s never heard them fight,  _ ever _ . What was happening between them? And to think she believed Jasper when he said everything was okay but her brother was hurt and- what had happened? Did Jasper cheat on him?

“You fucking liar!” Mac yells, clearly angry. “I can’t believe you! Okay you know what, this is not over-”

“It  _ is  _ over Mac. Okay? It’s been over for a long time now-”

“It’s  _ not.  _ I mean, how could you?”

“If I’d known this about you before were married-”

“Betrayal, you know that, right? This is betrayal. To think that I trusted you-”

“You’re just mad because I told you earlier, and you’re wrong. You were wrong. Just admit it. Say sorry baby I was wrong.”

“Seriously? ‘Sorry baby’? My ass okay, you’re so lucky I don’t kick you out of the house right now.”

“And then do what, exactly? Huh Angus?”

“You’re so condescending. Okay you know what, fuck you. We’re playing again. Okay? We’re playing again and I’m going to win-”

“No you’re not. We’ve been doing this for hours.”

“We’re going again!”

“Okay, okay. But I’m just saying that you are not going to-”

Riley marches in to see they’re sitting on the floor in comfy casual clothes with a nintendo switch. She looks between them. “You mean to tell me that whole yelling match was about a game?”

The two look up. “Oh Macs really competitive.”

“You’re a liar!”

“If I knew you were this bad at Mario Kart, I would’ve bought it a long time ago.”

Mac takes a pillow and smushes Jaspers face into it. “Shush. You don’t get to talk anymore.”

Jasper laughs, despite Mac being a sore loser. “You’re just upset because I’ve won every round.”

“I almost won a few times!”

“Do you want me to let you win?”

“Don’t you dare make me a Mary Sue. You can sleep with Riley tonight.”

“Riley is the one planning to drag you out for Veterans day in a few days.”

Mac gasps. “Riley! You know how much I hate that.”

“Me? He has dinner plans for you.”

“I have dinner plans for him all the time. I was going to make eggplant parm.”

“I hate eggplants.”

“Thats the point babe. So you feel as hated as possible on your least favorite day of the year. You know who loves eggplant parm? Me. Since Veterans Day is hate Angel Macgyver day according to you-”

“Awwh you  _ do _ love me. Okay, maybe we can take a break to watch a movie.”

Riley laughs. “You are so much easier to please than I ever remember.” Mac smiles innocently. 

“I’m just mentally refueling so I can destroy him in Mario Kart later.”

“Wanna play me?” Jasper offers.

“No, I like having mental stability,” Riley says, sitting on the couch. Jasper nods. 

“Your loss.”

“Not really.”

“Whatever you say.”

She nods, Jasper and Mac turning off the game, and digging up the charger to plug it in. Mac cleans up, and goes to throw the plastic away. Jasper puts on  _ Holiday Baking Championship  _ and Mac excitedly joins him on the couch. “Get us some wine.”

“How’s cocoa?”

“Mm cocoa sounds good.”

“Order in?”

“The vegan indian place-”

“No!” Riley interjects. “That place sucked. Anything but that.”

“Okay… so how about we put our coats on and go to little spain across the street.”

“Or we can ask them to bring the food across the street.”

Mac gasps. “Zodiac Room. We can just phone in downstairs and they’ll send it up for us.”

Jasper nods. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ve taken Riley there. See, since we love here in this complex, we explored that whole mall. Level seven has this amazing restaurant called the Zodiac room? So good.”

“Then I can’t wait to try it?”

“I’ll get her the menu,” Jasper says, and Mac nods. 

“You know what I want.”

“Burger?”

“Tagliatelle, please!”

Riley smiles, looking to Mac. “Jasper said you weren’t feeling well?”

“Oh uh… I threw up last night, we thought I had a bug but… I think I just had something bad.”

She nods, she knew he was lying. “You feel better?”

“Yeah…” that wasn’t a lie. He looks up as he hears Jasper ask if he knew where they put the menu. “The drawer you’re probably looking through?” he smiles and she nods. 

“Good.”

He smiles. “Yeah. Did you find it?”

“Found it!”

He comes back and hands the menu to Riley, the two already knowing what they wanted. Once Riley picks, they phone downstairs and place the order. She looks at them, and everything seems okay, if only Mac seemed a little sad from time to time, suddenly heartbroken. But he put himself together again within minutes. She doesn’t understand it, and she remembers how last week he’d said in the elevator how perfect his life seemed when underneath it wasn’t so shiny. 

“Holiday baking championship next week?”

“Oh absolutely.”

Riley didn’t understand, but they seemed happy, and they kissed like Jasper hadn’t had breakfast without Mac that very morning- something that never happened on a Saturday. 

\- Veterans Day, It’s a Tuesday -

Mac walks downstairs to find Jasper waiting at the table with breakfast and coffee. “Hey Vet,” he says softly, Mac smiling. 

“What is this?”

“Just everyday breakfast and coffee.”

“You’re up extra early. Did you even sleep?”

“I slept very well.”

“Why are you up so early?”

“Because it’s a non distinct tuesday and I want to make you a non distinct cup of coffee…”

Mac rolls his eyes, kissing Jasper. “Thank you.”

“Your welcome.”

“So… Riley and Jack are going to an event in Bryant Park and-”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I hate feeling like I deserve recognition for doing a job I chose to do out of privilege I had that a lot of people didn’t.”

“Doesn’t make you any less of a veteran.”

“You gonna have the same heart to heart with me every time it comes up? I know that I was brave or… whatever. But… I don’t know. It just dredges up all the bad memories,” Mac says quietly. Jasper nods, taking Macs hands and kissing his knuckles.

“Well, I am thankful every day that you survived and made it to ops. And if that means once a year I get up earlier than you by 15 minutes to make you coffee and a nice breakfast…”

“Our anniversary is a good place to start,” Mac offers and he shakes his head. 

“Shut the hell your mouth. This is my best avocado toast that I made you.”

Mac takes the toast and bites into it instead of replying, moaning dramatically to appease his chef husband. Jasper laughs. He takes the small dessert fork and offers Mac a small piece of a sweet fig covered in honey. 

“And you bought me figs.”

“Drizzled in honeysuckle honey.”

“The best kind… Arguably.”

Jasper smiles, feeding his husband, then kissing the top of his head. “Also, Riley will be taking over the bakery by the time you’d usually get there. I will be home.”

“Why?” Mac asks skeptically. 

“Eggplant parm.”

“Right…”

“I have to get to work soon, so we should eat.”

“I love you,” Mac says, Jasper smiling and dipping him into a kiss. “How late do you want to be to work?”

“Tomorrow? Maybe like an hour or two.”

Mac laughs, kissing him again, holding him close. “Lets eat breakfast.” 

Mac unlocks his office, but to his surprise the door is already unlocked. It was 9.30 AM, after his class had ended. He walks into the office, proceeding with caution, ready to attack if he has to, only for his four students jumping out. “Surprise!” 

He blinks. “Uhm… wow, what is that?”

“A cake, we got it at Whole Foods,” Finn informs. 

“Why?”

“Because you’re our favorite veteran,” Lauren says, showing off the cake, then handing him the latte she promised. “So we got you a cake.” 

“Okay but remember when I told you all that I really don’t like to celebrate?”

“Remember when we bought you a cake from whole foods? We got up early for this.”

Mac laughs. “Okay, okay. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Its all your favorite flavors.”

“Doesn’t look like chocolate.”

“Strawberry, lemon, raspberry.”

“Chocolate?”

“No chocolate.”

“Dammit, this is really disappointing. For future reference, I love chocolate.”

They all laugh. Mac pops open the lid, and takes the plates that they brought. He uses the plastic knife and serves them each a slice. “Thank you for this, really.”

Collin smiles, handing Mac a slice of his own. “It’s because you’re our favorite.”

“Who let you guys in?”

“Professor Diamonds.”

“Jeremy would.” he shakes his head, but takes a bite of the cake. Jeremy pops in. “Welcome to the surprise party, there’s non chocolate cake.”

“Yeah I told them you loved chocolate. Nobody believed me though.”

“Sad, but it’s okay. I’m sure Jasper will make chocolate cake later and say it’s for a non discript tuesday celebration because he loves me very much.”

“God, remind me to tell my boyfriend he’s really lagging.”

Mac laughs. “I think we just have slight attachment issues.”

“You think?” Lauren asks. “You guys like each other too much.”

“Yeah, happens when you dumb your shitty girlfriend and find someone much better than that for yourself,” he points out to her.

“Yeah? And did you have a shitty boyfriend before Jasper?”

“Girlfriend. She tried to murder me,” Mac says, everyone looking at him confused. “Several times, but… it’s way more complicated than that.”

“If you weren’t so lame, I’d think you were a spy,” Cassie says, waving her fork at him. “But you’re like… you just have Dad Energy.”

Mac coughs a bit. “Sure. Dad energy. What am I? Jack?”

“More likely than you think, man,” Jeremy teases. “Helena is stopping by after class.”

“You’re all plotting against me.” 

“No, we just love you.”

“And I’m super thankful for that. Speaking of, are you coming to thanksgiving?”

“With your family? Maybe.”

“They’re like… not really family. They’re friends that are a lot more like family. But, you’d like them.”

“Now we all feel left out,” Finn teases.

“You’re all going home for the holidays.”

“I will get back to you by this weekend. Hey is your dad still coming over?” Jeremy asks and Macs eyes widen.

“Fuuuck, I never called him about- You never heard me say a bad word, okay children? No bad words said here- I never called him! Jesus. Things got hectic-”

“Call him man.”

“I will.”

“Of course you will.”

“I will! I just… Maybe tomorrow.”

“On Wednesday, two days before?”

“Yeah because I’m pretty sure Jasper is taking me out to dinner tonight. Even though you all know how much I-”

“Hate veterans day, we get it professor Mac. Let it go.”

“Sorry,” he says. Lauren shakes her head, Mac giving her the rest of his cake. “Now, change of topic. Did you all see what Melville was wearing today? Foolish behavior.” 

\- Sheriff County, Ohio -

Mel holds the edge of the toilet bowl. She had a plane ride in a few hours from Zeus, Julius leaning against the door way. 

“So… I guess the baby hates yogurt.”

“Super hates it,” she grumbles, knuckles turning white from her grip before she’s heaving again. Julius winces, kneeling down beside her, rubbing her back. 

“It’s okay, amore… va a estar bien, cariño.”

He comforts her until she can’t puke anymore. Sitting up, and Julius has a towel ready. He pats her mouth clean, kisses her head. “I promise that baby is grounded the second it’s born.”

She laughs. “You have to go.”

“It can wait until I know you’re okay.”

“Kaori said she was on her way last I texted her.”

“She’ll be here any minute than. But… I just want to make sure you’re okay for the day. Properly fed and stuff.” 

“Eventually she’ll have to get it right because she’s hungry, so we’ll have to eat something.”

“And you’re not craving anything?”

“Just to eat a whole plate of food.”

He smiles, so tender in that way of his. “We can try something else.”

“No… Go, before Dallas calls you.”

“Until Kaori is here, I’m here… are you still having bad dreams?”

“It’s the weirdest thing… I keep seeing Jasper with his mom, holding her dead body and when i get closer, it becomes a baby. And then he’s alone. And he keeps telling himself that it all happened so fast… like that video you have on file, from what you found of his family. With his dad? It’s so eerie… And he’s always so afraid… so alone seeming. But then last night, all I saw was him in his bakery, and it was snowing outside, and he was alone. Suddenly there was snow falling around him, and he was looking at someone with tears in his eyes. I don’t know what any of it means… if he’s feeling lost or scared.. If something is hurting him.”

“Or you will get there and he’s okay.”

“If he’s not?”

“Time will tell.”

“Yeah it will…”

He hugs her close, Kaori calling from the doorway. She looks up at Julius and kisses his cheek. “This is goodbye friend.”

“Only temporarily.”

“Even then, it makes me sad.”

“Please, you’re jumping for joy.”

“Only a little. Girls days are important.”

He laughs. “Kaori, we’re in here.”

“Are you dressed?”

“Well, Mel is in a bra, but I think you can handle it.”

“How do you know?” Kaori teases, peaking in. 

“I can’t believe you get to be with Jasper a week before us.” 

She laughs. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”

Kaori sinks to the floor. “Come on, lets go see what we can get in that belly of yours.”

\- Hudson Yards NYC, around 6.30 PM -

Mac walks in, sees Jasper with a french tuck on his shirt, adjusting his fringe. He’s singing along to the music in his air pods, adjusting a perfect watch. He was wearing jeans over dress pants, something entirely rare and almost unseen on his husband. He feels he should mention there was no eggplant parm downstairs. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Mac asks. Jasper perks up at the sound of his voice, taking out the ear bud and looking to him. 

“Hey, get ready. There’s this place-”

“No! What did we say? Eggplant parm because you hate me today!”

“Okay but I found this place! In west village and-”

“I don’t want to dress nice.”

“It’s fancy casual. See? Jeans?”

“Yeah… But- you promised. You said we were going to do-”

“I promise I didn’t plan this at all. A customer was telling me about it, and I just got so excited about it but if you don’t want the 24 layer chocolate cake-”

“Wait..”

“No, I mean, you’re right. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you. I know how it looks- PJs and parm.”

“No no, wait, I want the chocolate cake. Is it really 24 layers?”

“All chocolate too.”

Mac presses his lips together, squinting. “Okay we can compromise this one year but only because it’s totally unplanned- right?” Mac asks the last part accusingly. 

“Absolutely.” No, he’d planned it. “Maison Pickle, super yummy apparently.” 

“Okay…” Mac agrees. “But we’re only going-”

“Because it’s tuesday. It’s Tuesday and we’re going to dinner. We aren’t going to talk about anything army related, or anyone army related-”

“Oh wait, actually, before we totally write that off, Charlie called me.”

“If it was any other day of the week, I would care. But we hate you today remember?” 

Mac rolls his eyes, goes over to kiss his cheek. “Jess, please?”

“What? You’re the one who wants no attention on a holiday where you should be getting attention-”

“Okay fair. But we are still going to dinner, and we are still having our holiday baking championship.”

“Tonight? I thought we were doing that tomorrow.”

“Okay but we have to plan.”

“Nooo the whole point is you get to be surprised at whatever vague creation ideas you give me that I create based on it.”

“Yeah but how am I supposed to make baking ideas if you don’t help me.”

“With your brain. Just go like ‘I want this’ and ye shall receive.”

“We must binge for ideas then.”

“We’ll see.”

“Do you have other plans?”

“No, we are going to dinner and getting 24 layer chocolate cake, and because I hate you I will proceed to sleep strictly on my side of the bed until midnight. Then we can cuddle.”

Mac laughs. “And then we have to be up early because we still have to go back to work and school.”

“Sure.” Jasper tosses a shirt at Mac. “Lets go, chop chop. You make me late, I  _ will  _ get another date.”

Mac rolls his eyes, but he is eternally grateful for his husbands taunting. He knows his hatred of the holiday was, if anything, a little ridiculous. He should be proud of his service, he should be open to telling people about it. He should want to attend events, he should want to talk openly about his experiences. But he feels the memories perkling in the back of his mind, and every year he goes through the same thing. The flash backs of Pena, the feeling of fire, the burning of his lungs, the way his mind feels like it’s burning too. Like it’s lit with little fires everywhere, on every inch of his brain. 

He hated thinking of it, of all the bombs he couldn’t diffuse, of all the people he lost. He thinks of Pena, and his little girl who was probably seven now. He thinks of how he was so close to happiness and it was blown away, because Mac needed 5 more minutes. 

He snaps back in, to see Jasper dabbing perfume in the crook of his neck. He’s halfway through buttoning up his shirt, a warm fleece plaid, and he looks at Jasper in the silk seeming shirt, the way it reflected, the colors that matched his ring, the only odd one being the wedding ring. Jasper is humming, and he knows that Jasper never served, that he doesn’t fully understand, even if he served time in his own ways, being tortured by his family. What Jasper went through and saw was so different, and he wonders if Jasper only wants to celebrate if only to make Mac feel important. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Mac promises, tucking his shirt into his pants. “This is casual right?”

“Sure, I just thought you’d want to wear jeans.” 

“I don’t really want to change and these are nice… ish?”

Jasper laughs, pulling him into his arms. “I think you look great. And you are going to have a good time tonight.”

Mac smiles. “I’m going to try,” he promises. Jasper nods, kissing his head. 

“Lets get going, I want to get a table.”

“You didn’t make a reservation?”

“It’s not that kind of place, it’s really more like a dive bar.”

Mac laughs. “I  _ love  _ dive bars. They’re so innovative but atmospheric. The food is always great. I don’t know why you don’t like going to them often.”

“I like treating us to luxury things,” he says, wrapping his arm around Macs waist, Mac going to the dresser to freshen up a bit before they go. He pats his face with a witch hazel soaked pad, he moisturizes. He brushes his hair back and reapplies his cologne. “Besides, I know the people who own those restaurants, and they’re our friends. The head chefs are people we love.”

“You’re right, but we can make new experiences, new friends,” Mac says. “It’s okay to leave our comfort zone.” 

The two walk down the stairs, Cadmium waiting for more attention. Mac kisses her, and leaves her to go cuddle Whiskey on the couch. They go down to the car, Mac texting Charlie. 

“Charlie is in town,” he says again.

“Right, you said he called.” 

“Yeah, I told him we can hang out Thursday, since my last class ends at 5. I was going to have him come over, buy some beer for us. We can just you know, hang out.” 

“And why not? That sounds like a great time, Angel. And it’s been a while since you saw him, right?” 

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him since the summer. Remember, he passed by for a while?” 

“I remember. We had a bonfire on the roof, and we got drinks on the highline.”

“You got that really great picture of me.”

“I won’t be home until 11 tomorrow night though. I got this cake order, and it’s not a super hard cake, but I do want to finish it tomorrow night, you know, without rush.” 

“Absolutely,” Mac says, leaning over to kiss his shoulder. Jasper smiles, pulling out of the parking garage and driving them to the restaurant. Mac listens as Jasper sings along with every song, and his thoughts recenter to the passing lights of the city streets, the people crowding the sidewalks. Walking home, dipping under the streets into the subways, high tier suits with headphones in as they walk with their eyes hazed. Drunk girls in odd clothes with a billion bracelets, groups of friends dressed to the nines to go to dinner then head towards broadway. 

“We haven’t seen a show in a while,” Mac says, lowering the music. Jasper looks over. 

“We can go see a show tonight if you want.”

“Could we? What do you wanna see? Aladdin, Lion King?” 

“I heard Frozen was amazing… Do you wanna see Frozen?” 

“Or Book of Mormon, we loved Book of Mormon, and Evan Hansen.”

“Evan Hansen was great.”

“Lets see Evan Hansen.”

“Or we can try to get into Hamilton.”

“At this rate, we’re going to list every single musical there is.”

“How about we go to your favorite hotel in West Village, the Roxy? We can get the TV bundle, we can watch all the holiday baking championship-”

“Hit the bar, we can drink a little- I wish I dressed better now.”

“You look perfect,” Jasper assures. “And we can get breakfast at that place across the street that you love.”

“Isn’t it close to Washington Square park? Imagine taking a run there at dawn.”

“Didn’t you used to do that when we were dating?”

“Oh sure, because we ever woke up before 9 when we vacationed here.”

Jasper laughs. “If only we didn’t have work in the morning.”

Mac smiles, leaning on the console as they stop at a light. “I don’t know… I like when we have dates just around the city. Grab hotels. Always feels like we’re still working things out for the first time.”

Jasper smiles. “Everytime I see you it’s like the first time.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it.”

Mac smiles, their hands interlacing in the center of the console. 

“Come on, go wild, order a drink,” Mac encourages, nudging the inside of Jaspers calf with his thigh. “You’d totally love this wine they have… they have a good french selection.”

“I wouldn’t say that it’s a  _ good  _ selection, but it does sound good… I have to drive us remember.”

“Sure, but you’re not going to order a soda so-”

“Look at their non alcoholic menu.”

“There’s 2 drinks.”

“The hops and dreams sounds fabulous. Like a garden  _ dream,  _ get it?”

“I got it.” Mac grins, and Jasper is grinning at his menu, only sparing Mac a glance. “I want to order everything.”

“We can get a bunch to sample. Take it home to Riley tomorrow.”

Mac nods. “No… I’m not in the mood for it. Maybe we should just come back another time.”

Jasper laughs. “You want to leave? We were just talking drinks.”

“No!” Mac says laughing. “I meant like we get something to try now, we come back to try more things on the menu.”

“Oh I see, so you’re trying to trick me into coming back to prove a point?”

“No, just to eat their food.”

“I was thinking of getting this 28 day tomahawk. What are you thinking?”

“Well I was between the steak and the patty melt. Patty melt sounds good right now, doesn’t it?”

Jasper nods. “And then you’ll have fries that I can steal.”

“They have pork chops with cassoulet.”

“I hate pork.”

“I know, but you love cassoulet.”

“Fun idea but pass,” he says. They go through this until the waiter comes back, and they’ve been decided for a while now, but they have fun going back and forth. Mac is forced to think about the menu and the dishes, and he prods Jasper about the things he’d like to try, even if he knows his heart is set on that tomahawk. 

Jasper gets the hops and dreams drink, Mac gets a brooklyn brewed beer and feels very special about it. They go through dinner, and they talk long after they’ve finished eating. Mac is bent over laughing over the table, the watier coming back. 

“So, successful first date, I’m assuming. Maybe to wrap up with some dessert?”

Mac looks to Jasper, and Jasper nods. “I think dessert sounds great.”

“With coffee,” Mac says, softly. Jasper nods. 

“With coffee,” Jasper agrees. The waiter came prepared with the menus and they smile. The table is cleared off, and Jasper looks to Mac who views the menu excitedly. “So, new boyfriend of mine,” he teases. Mac laughs. 

“Am I your boyfriend?”

“Do you remember how you asked me to be your boyfriend?”

“I remember. You were in LA for a few days, I just got home from an op, I was so tired. But we went out anyways, to that nice place downtown.”

“You insisted we got dessert.”

“You got a hummingbird cake.”

“And on the plate of my slice was piped  _ will you be mine? At least for a little while. _ ”

“You laughed for over 5 minutes, I was so sure you’d say no.”

“It was soooooo cute! I mean, how did you even ask them to that when I was with you the whole time?” 

“You went to go talk to the owner, and while you were talking to him, remember I told you I’d ordered us coffee to go with dessert?” 

“Oh yes! And they brought us our own pot. And you were so excited for us to bring the cake, and all I could think was god he loves chocolate cake, he will never like me that much. And guess what? I was right.”

Mac laughs, his smile so bright in the atmospheric lighting. “Speaking of, we are getting this 24 layer cake to share, right?”

“Sure, if you want. They have hummingbird cake here.”

“I love you so much, but I do not want a hummingbird cake.”

“24 layers of chocolate ooey gooey goodness.”

He smiles, nodding, feeling understood. They order coffee and chocolate cake. Jasper is glad Mac is having fun, that he doesn’t seem bothered by a single thing in the world. Everything was working out perfectly. Mac pulls out his phone as they fall into a lull of silence.

“I found these decorations for Thanksgiving.”

“Decorations? We need decorations?” 

“Well not exactly decorations but they’re like, ways to use napkin rings to create turkeys.”

“Sure… uh, why? I thought we were going to keep it simple.”

“Yeah but… I want our families to have the best experience. And when has anything presented by Jasper Sheriff been simple? I mean, I think it’d be a fun craft.”

“It would be. And our thanksgiving is going to be perfect. We are hosting it after all.” 

Mac nods, looking a bit anxious. “Sure but… I want something to show for it all, you know? I want them to feel at home, but like it’s you know…” 

“The perfect homey thanksgiving dinner?”

“Yeah…”

“You have nothing to prove, you know that right? You’re a great guy, your family loves you. I love you.”

“I know. But…”

“Okay, show me. We can do anything, even paint my fine china.” 

Mac smiles, small and assured. Jasper takes his hands, kissing his wedding ring. “Well we don’t have to pain the fine china but… if we could get a warm red tablecloth-”

“With the color scheme of our living room?”

“It matches!” Mac argues. “Even with the velvet couches.”

“Okay… okay, fine. The warm red table cloth. And okay, look-” Mac holds up a wreath that was made of fall leaves. “And there were these pumpkin decorations.” 

“Oh what is that there? You see in the corner? They’re jars decorated for candles. We  _ have _ to do that.”

Mac perks up. “You mean it?”

“Absolutely. We’re going to make it the most perfect Thanksgiving you could possibly imagine.” 

Mac smiles, showing Jasper the rest of the crafts he found. Jasper lets him, muses his ideas. He lets Mac waddle through his hurt and pain the way he feels best, and he only supports him and his choice of coping with the whole thing. If taking control of their situation is having the perfect thanksgiving dinner for their families, complete with Martha Stuart decorations, then so be it. Jasper never liked things to be plain and simple anyways. 

The coffee and cake arrive and Macs eyes light up. The cake sits in front of him, a mountain of cake, icing, a fine chocolate layer on the outside. The coffee is aromatic, the whole thing sings perfectly in his blood. Jasper watches Mac, catching a picture of him surveying the dessert in delight. 

And listen, they really did plan to leave some for Riley and Jack, but it was a damn good cake. They eat it right down to the frosting on the plate, scraping their forks for the last bites of chocolate icing. “I strive to make a cake that good,” Jasper says.

“I’d tell you you’ve made better but I’d be lying to your face,” Mac admits. “You could be this good though, you’ve got potential.” 

“I love that for me,” Jasper says. The waiter comes by with the bill. They pay and head to the car, Mac kissing Jasper as he’s folded into his side, Jasper swaying a bit as they walk. 

“Eyes on the road pal, you’re steering,” he teases, Jasper laughing. He stops and kisses Mac again, the two between two cars that aren’t there on. The moon shone so brightly over the upper west side. Mac leans his head on Jaspers shoulder, rubbing his belly as he looks up at the moon and over at Jasper who was already watching him. He smiles softly, earning another kiss. 

“Lets see if we can get ourselves a room at Roxy.”

“We can just go home if you want.”

“It’s closer to the bakery, and it’s closer to NYU.”

“It’s about a 15 minute drive home from the Roxy without traffic…” Mac says. “I don’t want you to do too much, you know?”

“Of course, but its nearby, and we could use a night away… Only if you want. If you’re tapped out for the night, or if you still wanted to go to broadway.”

“We spent  _ forever  _ in the restaurant,” Mac says, looking up at the moon as they walk towards the car. His eyes twinkle as he admires the light. Jasper smiles. 

“Why don’t we get you home, darling,” he says softly, and Mac looks up at him, smiling. 

“Home is wherever you are. You think we should’ve gotten some cake for Riley?”

“Is Riley a veeeeerrryyy handsome husband of mine?”

“Good save.”

“Thanks, I really almost blew it on that one.”

Mac scoffs, Jasper unlocking the Tesla. The two climb in, and Mac leans into the car. “You know, Audi released these really sexy electric cars. I like it better than the Tesla.”

“Do you?”

“You should upgrade.”

“Well, I’ll sure as hell consider it.” 

Mac knows that means no but he feels pleased that the idea has now been placed for consideration. The last time he mentioned Jasper upgrade the car, Jasper just said  _ no.  _ This was an improvement. 

The door opens and Riley looks up, she was eating ice cream and crying on the couch. Mac walks in, leading Jasper by the hand, the two giggling. This was not helping very much. They look at each other with so much love, and their kisses are like a magnet pulled them together, like it couldn’t be pulled apart. 

“Do you think Riley is home?” Mac teases, pretending not to see her, not realizing she’s upset because he hasn’t given her a good look yet. They’re shedding their coats now, holding a bag from a restaurant. 

Riley lets them figure it out, the two teasing. They disappear into the kitchen, Mac all the while teasing that he doesn’t  _ see  _ her anywhere, and she doesn’t say a word. She fills her spoon with chocolate almond ice cream and then stuffs it in her mouth. Sugar was the finest bliss. Jasper walks into the living room. 

“God, I wonder where Riley could be.”

“Check back later,” she says, and he nods, looking to Mac who shoos him off, whispering something to him that makes Jasper laugh. Jasper goes off upstairs, Mac sitting next to her. 

“You okay?”

“I thought you weren’t going out for Veterans day.”

“We didn’t. We just went on a date on a tuesday. Casual.” 

She nods. “Have you ever… not been able to have sex with him?”

“Uhm… Okay, odd question. But, No I don’t think so… I don’t know, if I’m really being honest with you.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah, well… I’ve been with him five years. I’ve had a lot of sex with him in those fives years.”

“And you can’t remember one time it didn’t… work?”

“What didn’t work? Like someone didn’t orgasm work or… get it up kind of work?”

“I can’t get turned on,” She comes clean. “At all. I mean four times, and it never works! And now he thinks its his fault, and that he’s doing something wrong. But it’s just me! My body is ruined.”

Mac feels his jaw drop a bit. He wasn’t really expecting this, and his brain searches through everything he knows about human biology. “That’s… probably normal,” he offers, not sure what to say. “I mean, it’s probably just because he’s a new partner and it takes a while-”

“I  _ can’t _ do it,” She reiterates. 

“Well-”

“What’s going on?” Jasper asks, coming downstairs, still dressed. “I uh… I came to just grab some snacks. I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Riley is having a bit of a… uh… a-”

“I can’t have sex,” she says plainly. She fills her spoon with ice cream. “And now I’m fighting with Chance because he thinks that I just don’t think he’s attractive enough.”

Jasper nods, looking to Mac. “Love, go uh… go get the snacks ready. Okay? Give me a minute with Riley.”

Mac nods, leaving Jasper to talk to her. 

“Okay… I know you’re upset, but it is perfectly normal. You’re just tensed up, that’s all.”

“Tensed up?”

“You were just cheated on, came out of a bad relationship, a lot of emotional tension that you’re working through,” he offers and she nods. “I remember, when I first left my home, I never even considered having sex. Then as I grew into my sexuality, and explored who I was… I got into it with a guy I met, and I wanted him, like terribly bad, you know? But everytime I was in bed with him, I was so scared he wouldn’t be pleased, or I’d do something wrong, that even if I didn’t think I was afraid, I still couldn’t do it with him for the life of me.”

“So you think I’m just… subconsciously afraid of messing up?”

“Sure. Or you’re afraid of the repercussions of letting him in, or you’re just… coming to terms with your emotions about him. Do you really feel happy with him, Riley?”

She thinks, leaning into the couch. “Yeah… I am. He’s a really good guy.”

Jasper nods. “Do you miss Billy?”

“No-”

“It’s okay to say yes.”

“But…”

“I know. But admitting it is a good place to start, right?”

She nods and after a moment she nods again. “I do… Miss him. I keep thinking maybe I misunderstood, but he just lashed out at me when I wouldn’t respond when he wanted me to… I just can’t justify giving him another chance. Even if he’s hurt, I was more broken than ever.”

Jasper nods, letting her come to terms with this.

“I don’t want him back. I like Chance, a lot… he’s so good to me, and we have so much fun together.”

“That’s good.”

“But I’m going back to LA soon,” She concludes. 

“You are…”

“What if he cheats too?”

“Do you think he would?”

“I don’t know… how could I know?”

“That’s the thing, Riles. We never know these things in life, we just… we let them happen. I mean, it lead me to Mac. Maybe he’s your Mac.”

“What do you mean it lead you to Mac?”

“My boyfriend before Mac, Steven, he broke up with me when I was interrogating Mac about Nikki Carpenter and their involvement. I had found a ring before leading, and he was supposed to visit me in LA after his business trip to New York. I thought he was going to propose, but… he called me when I was on my break, I was on the roof, it was an hour before our dinner. I booked the nicest place in all of downtown LA that I could find, 24, young, and I was only away from my home 3 years by then… it was the nicest place I had ever seen, and I was expecting him to tell me he was parked outside, he was hoping I was dressed nice, or that he was happy to see me. Instead, he said he was still in New York… that he was seeing another guy and he liked him a lot more. So much in fact, he got engaged!”

Riley laughs. “Your kidding. This is the same guy who confronted Mac at your Christmas party?”

“Same guy.”

“Too bad. He was good looking.”

“Macs better looking.”

“Chance is better looking…” she offers. He nods. 

“I’m not saying this solved your uh… issue, but, I tensed up with Mac. We were friends for a while, we didn’t have sex until months into the relationship.”

“Funny, because last I checked, you two can’t get your hands off each other.”

“You would never know if we didn’t tell you.”

“Oh sure, walking into the apartment making out wasn’t any sign of that?”

“Mmm don’t know what you’re talking about Riley.”

“You do!”

“Snacks are ready, so I’m going to go upstairs..” Mac says, peaking in. Riley nods. 

“Jasper was a lot better at this than you.”

“Jasper has a PhD in Psychology so he’s usually pretty good at these things,” Mac reminds, holding the tray of snacks. Jasper smiles, nudging Riley. 

“I’m a doctor,” he says tauntingly and Riley laughs.

“Well, maybe we can do a little more talking.”

“Sure. My door is always open, Ms. Davis,” he teases and she nudges him. 

“Gooo finish your date, make sure your TV is super loud.”

Mac laughs. “If you wanna ditch the ice cream, there’s some amazing steak in the kitchen,” he offers.

“No dessert?”

“Uhhh no,” Mac lies. “We skipped it?”

She nods, suspicious, Jasper kissing Riley’s head. “Don’t cause trouble,” he says, dragging Mac upstairs right after.

It’s safe to say they didn’t really watch Holiday Baking Championship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK! YOU MADE IT!  
> So now I owe a bit of an explanation for why i disappeared for about 2 months.  
> So, first I was overwhelmed between life and coursework and wasn't really writing. I finally got back on track and found a balance between homework, my job, classes, social life, and writing. And now the chapter reached over 80 pages, and I decided the best thing to do was to split it between Pre-Veterans Day and Post!  
> I hope you enjoyed this part, it's super intense, super emotional, and took almost 10 minutes to copy this half.  
> Next is Post Veterans day. What to expect: Holiday Baking Championship, A Date with Charlie, Mel coming to town, and Thanksgiving!  
> I hope this chapter is good so far! Enjoy <3


	5. November pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thanksgiving Chapter!  
> A wild ride, december coming to an ao3 near you soon.

**-The Holiday Baking Championship of the Hudson Yards -**

“Okay, bakers,” Mac announces like he’s Bobby Deen. “The challenge today is to create 15 stunning desserts, all contenders for the Thanksgiving Extravaganza at the  _ famous  _ Macgyver-Sheriff household.The challenges, as they go, get increasingly harder. The job is to impress the judge...s, multiple judges but only pretend because Jack bailed, and the remaining 4 desserts at the end of the night are the ones that will appear on the table.” 

Jasper nods, smiling. It was about 5 PM and they were in their kitchen. Jasper had everything out and ready to use: flour, butter, fruits, extracts, nuts, anything in between. 

“Your first challenge,” Mac continues, “is a simple one. Traditional thanksgiving pie.”

“This would be more fun if we invited Bozer a week early,” Jasper points out. Mac laughs. 

“Yeah, Matty would kill us. Ops runs on no ones schedules, remember?”

“Right, isn’t it good we left?”

“It is, because then we get to do things like this and who’s to stop us?” 

Jasper smiles, resisting the urge to pull Mac into a kiss, hands behind his back. He was sorry to say it, but he was more excited to get his hands on his baking then on his hands. “Okay well… you have to call time.”

“Oh right, okay… 1 hour and 45 minutes on the clock to create 1 classic Thanksgiving pie, and- oh! Twist to the challenge! Two baby pies that are a twist on a traditional pie.”

“Cruel.”

“I know, it’s in my blood,” Mac teases, raising his shoulder. He takes out his phone, sets the time. “Aand go!”

Jasper gets to work, Mac laughing as his husband excitedly goes about jotting down ideas and recipes before getting to work on a dough. Mac goes to the living room where all of his midterms were set up and ready to grade. He settles down, pulls on the thick knit blanket they bought recently (Jasper liked it because it was purple). Cadmium crawls up on the couch, and he sits up. His strange puppy stuffing herself behind him and cuddling her nose against his arm. She did like to be squished behind him as a pillow. 

He grades until the time hits 5 minutes and he calls out from the couch he has 5 minutes left. He takes about 2 minutes to neatly put his stuff aside and move to the kitchen. The scent of pies were wafting through the home and Mac was sure he was going to have the best five minutes of his life trying those pies. 

He had a general idea of what Jasper made- rum pecan caramel, traditional pumpkin with the jack o lantern crust, and… maybe an apple pie of some sort. 

He walks over. “Last 3 minutes.”

Jasper is working on plating, totally honed in on his craft, Macs eyes gleaming with Joy as he watches him. It was nice to see Jasper in his element. It was his favorite part of the holidays every year, seeing food turn into art, flavors turn into masterpieces. “Aaand time,” he says softly, sitting at the kitchen table. “Or should I settle in the dining room.”

“Here is fine…”

“Present your plate to the judge,” he says coyly. Jasper sets his plate in front of Mac, and he smiles, taking the dainty fork. The pie goes in front of him as well, as he predicted, a traditional pumpkin pie, with a jack o lantern crust on top. Crystalized sugar on the jack o lantern. 

“Well… for the large pie, we have a traditional pumpkin pie, with a decorative crust. The first small pie is an apple crumble, the twist is that it’s a mocha apple crunch.”

“Sounds disgusting,” he admits.

“It’s actually quite good.”

“The other pie is…”

“I chose to surprise you, it is a strawberry pie with a lemon meringue on the side. The twist is the strawberries were sauteed in wine.” 

“Hmm I don’t know if that’s enough a twist to pass the challenge.”

“Oh really?”

Mac hums, letting Jasper serve him the pumpkin pie. He tries it, humming. “Tastes like we do this every thanksgiving.”

“Boring?”

“Totally. But Riley will enjoy it.”

He laughs. Mac tries to the strawberry pie. “Hmm… have you considered this for fourth of July?”

“Doesn’t scream thanksgiving?”

“Screams sex by a pool in 102 degree heat actually.”

“Martini’s on the side?”

“Something like that.”

“Gosh I hope this doesn’t eliminate me.”

Mac laughs, trying the apple pie, and it was warm, perfectly cooked. And Jasper was right, chocolate and coffee taste great on perfectly cooked, not soggy, apples. “Mm winner, this is foreseeable a top four ticket puncher.” 

Jasper laughs. “That good?”

Mac nods. “Can’t believe I doubted you at any point in my life.” 

“I don’t know, you really weren’t feeling my strawberry pie.”

“I compared it to sex by a pool, that can’t possibly be a doubt.”

“It was a down vote of confidence, really.”

“As our good friends on the baking championship would say, it really wasn’t holiday.”

Jasper smiles. They clean up and prepare for the next round. “Okay, next we are going for 3 classy cookies, 1 has to look like a turkey.”

“How many do I have to make?”

“Beats me, just do ya thing hottie.” 

Jasper laughs, the two kissing quick before Mac starts time. They go through cookies, cakes, a croquembouche challenge before Riley comes home, Mac in the kitchen announcing a surprise ingredient for his croquembouche challenge. “What are you… doing?” she asks, Mac holding up an orange. 

“We’re playing Holiday Baking Championship, and at the end of the night we are going to decide our thanksgiving dessert.”

“Do I want to know?”

“We eat sugar until we’re sick, i get to pretend to be a talk show host. What else is there to know?” 

“And Jasper works all night.”

“He lives for this stuff.”

“Riley, shut uuup Mac just ruined my whole croquembouche with an orange. What kind of cruelty is this?” he complains, trying to come up with a use for the orange. Mac ushers her out. 

“See? Passion. We grade while he figures it out for THIRTY MORE MINUTES!”

“You didn’t have to say it so loud!” Jasper calls, Mac laughing. 

“Do you do this every year?” Riley asks, smiling. 

“This is the second. Cookie?”

“Oo thank you. What is it?”

“I don’t remember, it was 3 desserts ago.”

“How have you not puked?”

“Baby bites, Riles. Baby bites.”

She laughs, nodding. There’s a knock at the door. “I’ll uh, I’ll get it,” She says nibbling at her cookie. She walks to the door and opens it. 

“Surprise!”

“Mel!” Riley cheers. “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, Julius was out of town and Kaori was very busy… so I thought I’d come somewhere that had a warm bed. And maybe my kid on the otherside of the door.”

Riley laughs. “He’s inside, playing holiday baking championship with his husband?”

Mel smiles, rolling her eyes. “The fun of being an adult is pretend play can be applied to the real world. You don’t play when you can really bake,” She teases. She walks in with her duffle around her shoulder, Riley offering to take it but she juts her shoulder away. “I’m pregnant not weak.”

“Sorry…”

“Mel?” Mac calls, walking in. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

“Did you say Mama Mel is here?”

“Focus! Croquembouche is on the line,” Mac calls. She laughs. 

“I heard you guys were having a baking championship without me?”

“There’s a lot of dessert to go around. You can help with final elimination.”

She smiles, her and Mac hugging tight. “God, I must be like a thousand pounds now, either that or you lost weight.”

“Did you… gain weight?”

“Did you lose weight?”

Mac purses his lips. “You look five pounds lighter to me.”

“Lying right between your teeth. You know, you’re damn easy to read right?”

“Oh I know,” he says. “But, I thought it’d work.”

“I have a bump,” She says, Mac smiling softly, looking at her belly. He swallows his grief, she offers her hand and he feels her stomach, and it was almost like it was moving. “She kicks sometimes.”

“It’s a girl?”

“Yeah… that’s what they think, anyways.”

Mac laughs, Mel looking at her stomach. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just… super hungry. She hates everything. Son of a bitch won’t let me keep down a single meal.”

Mac laughs. “Does she like pie? We have soooo much pie. And if she doesn’t like pie, well I say grounded for life.”

“Julius said the same thing when she didn’t like his oatmeal yesterday morning. I was supposed to be here earlier today but… Well… Kaori had a bit of an incident.”

Mac raises a brow, leading her into the kitchen and grabbing her coffee as Jasper focuses on assembling his croquembouche. Mel kisses his shoulder.

“Hey cute stuff.”

“Hey Mellyyy,” he coos. “How’s being pregnant?”

“Julius has me doing mommy and me yoga everyday, and I puke up everything I eat. Also I’m 2 clothing sizes bigger.”

“You’re like 6 months in, so 2 clothing sizes is envy worthy to some.”

She snorts, smiling bright in that way only Jasper could make her smile. Mac noticed quickly there was something between the two that nobody else had. They understood each other in a way that was almost supernatural. Jasper once said he was sure his momma had sent Mel to be his guardian angel. Mac believed it. 

“Your bouche is looking good.”

“Dirty!” 

“Wait until I tell you about Chickie and her ex- that? That’s dirty.”

Jasper raises a brow. She smacks his shoulder lightly.

“Focus.”

“You’re distracting me.”

“False, you’re letting yourself be distracted.” 

“Damn, and aren’t I fool?”

She nods, accepting the coffee. “Should you be drinking that?” Mac asks after a moment. 

“I was on a plane, I deserve it. And no, the baby is not going to become a caffeine addict from one cup. Me on the other hand… long past that line.” 

Mac smiles, Jasper smiling even though he’s trying to focus on his dessert. Mel kisses Jasper shoulder once more, then goes to retrieve her bag. “Take me to my room,” she teases, Mac smiling. 

“I can show her,” Riley says. She was never close with Jaspers team, but she’s always loved Mel. She was only 32, a few years older than Jasper and Mac, but she was so personable, loving. Something about her made Riley want to know her better, know her all the time. 

“Sure,” Mel says warmly, following Riley upstairs. “Jasper said you’ve been thinking of staying here.”

“Oh I don’t know… I think the Phoenix needs me.”

“That’s fair,” she says. “Its easy to feel wanted somewhere, not always easy to go back,” She says. 

“What do you mean?”

“Being here for so long, you’re used to civilian life. Soon enough, I’m going to be in the same boat. Julius will be moved out of the field, we’ll probably be relocated to the small location here in the city. Field work? Won’t ever come easily again. It’ll always rest uneasy in your hard. Odd how that is.”

“Yeah… I feel like I have a life here, like… a real life. I mean after Prison, all I had was Phoenix. But now I have… I don’t know, it feels like I have a chance.”

“So take it. Nobody better to care for you than Jasper. He’s good at that, taking care of people.”

She nods. “He is… he gives good advice.”

Mel smiles proudly. “He gets that from me,” she teases. Riley shows her the room, opening the door to the perfectly kept room. “Wow… neon lights, thats Macs touch,” she says. Riley nods. “So, tell me about your life while I put my stuff away. I like having someone to talk to.”

“Uhm… well it’s not very eventful.”

“They’re currently having a baking championship downstairs. Are you sure it’s not super eventful?”

“Well, to be honest, they mostly do stuff like this when nobody is home. We are planning a surprise winter wonderland for Mac.”

“Ohhh very cute. I remember when we came last year for Thanksgiving-”

“You guys came last year for Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah, Mac said you guys were on an op. He was upset, but he wouldn’t say it, said it was just how your lives were, and he used to live that life. So he understood. It was a damn good thanksgiving though,” she says, a bit of a brooklyn accent peaking out to Riley’s surprise. “Anyways, last year during thanksgiving he told us all about the winter wonderland and Jack laughed, saying Jasper would never, and Jasper agreed.”

“He was excited about it. He said Macs concept was tacky, but he has the right idea.”

“What’s the right idea?”

“I’m not really sure, I just got all the stuff on the list.”

Mel’s laughter bubbles through the room as she unpacks her bags. “They’re too cute. What about you? Do you bake?”

“I usually sit on the registers.”

“Hmm yeah, I’m not great at baking either. Make a good pie crust though.”

“I can make cookies… most of the time.”

She nods, smiling. Her eyes are bright and brown, her coiled, curly hair slinking into her beautiful eyes. If she didn’t make the brightest smiling baby, she didn’t think anyone else could. Mel was tenderly beautiful, soft in her own way. Many believed, though, that she could crush men between her thighs, the crack so severe it was bliss in death. Riley believed it. She’d seen Zeus work before, sweet Jasper was sharper than any knife. Tender Mel was a missile waiting to be fired. 

“Have you found any handsome new yorkers?”

“There’s a guy,” Riley admits. “He’s great… his name is Chance.”

“Did he tell you to give him a chance and you won’t regret it?”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“Maybe. I’m a very wanted woman,” she jokes, her shirt flowing as she moves about the room. She takes out a smaller bag and unloads skincare products onto the dresser, which she thoroughly wipes down before using. 

Riley smiles, getting more comfortable on the bed. “He didn’t… but he is a bit nervous around me, not always smooth but he tries. We always… have so much fun together.”

“Good in bed? Or are you a stick it out until you find ‘the one’ kind of girl?”

“Well, I’m not… but that’s the thing. I can’t get it on with him, no matter what I try nothing gets me going. Which is weird, I really don’t think I’ve ever had this problem before.”

Mel nods, more serious now. “Well, women all over experience problems like that. It is perfectly healthy and normal to feel like you are sexually low. Your body has needs, desires, pulls towards energies. When we are hurt, all of the balance we have between soul and body is thrown off. I’m no expert in these things, I listen to a lot of podcasts and read a lot of popsugar articles, but, I do believe with a bit of self care so to speak, we can totally fix you up.” 

“Seriously?”

She nods. “Sure. We can just uh…. Google it, and figure out what to do to sexually recharge.”

“You haven’t been getting it either?”

“Oh no, I had sex three days ago. But! Girls stand together, so we’re obviously going to do this together. Pure and simple fact.”

Riley smiles. “Okay… I like the sound of that.”

Mel smiles back, and then sips her coffee. She checks her phone, and she hears a timer go off downstairs, the boys yelling. “Sounds like croquembouche hell.”

“Probably better we stay upstairs.”

Mel nods. “Okay, remind me where the shower is. I really smell like commercial airplane and I do not like it at all.”

She goes downstairs, Jasper and Mac at the counter, all the desserts lined up. “We have to wait for Mel,” she hears Jasper say, smiling. She had missed him, often expected him to be around the corner at Zeus, to see him laughing in the lounge with Kaori, to find him and Julius looking over papers together in Julius’ office upstairs. She expects to see him tinkering with something in the lab, see him creating something new. 

She often walks into the war room, ready to see her boy geared up and mentally preparing for the fight. She remembers when he had just gotten to Zeus, he was quiet, and he lingered in spaces where he would least likely be seen by others. He didn’t talk much, he didn’t understand much. Julius used to sleep over all the time, stopped hanging out with a lot of people to make sure he was okay. 

_ “Are you sure you can watch him?” Julius had asked her. She laughed. _

_ “Watch him? What is he? Five?” _

_ “No… he just… he’s been through a lot Mel. Dallas had me look into him, I traced him with facial recognition, I was able to hack his family… it’s not pretty. He’s a broken kid. He needs someone.. He needs stability.” _

“I’m telling you, I already have a top four!”

“Well, we can narrow it down when Mel comes downstairs.”

“Did someone call me?” she teases, walking in, hand on her stomach. She was wearing a big, puffy sweatshirt and yoga pants underneath. 

“Yes!” Jasper says, cheering up as she walks in. “We didn’t want to start without you. So now that you’re here we can start.”

“Start… what?”

“The narrowing down of the desserts. We already did the eliminating of the desserts that were just awful, so now it’s time to pick the top 4.” 

She nods, smiling. Jasper can’t quite look her in the eye and she doesn’t know why, or what was going through his head. Mac though seemed elated. 

“I’m telling you, she’s going to pick the same 4.”

“Well I guess we can only find out by me trying them,” she says, taking the fork Jasper offers her. He smiles and she smiles too, trying to see through him, trying to understand what hurt between them. Would he ever hide anything from her?

She doesn’t want to think he would, but he was married, he lived so far away now. He had a life of his own, he had things that bothered him that he didn’t call to tell her about. He went through his daily routine and she didn’t know what that looked like anymore, what he did everyday when nobody was around. She used to be so familiar with him, and now it felt like she was so much less familiar. 

“Okay, dessert number one is a pumpkin pie. Traditional,” he starts, and he walks them through. The mocha apple pie, the 3 types of cookies, the twist on a french dessert, two cakes, 1 cupcake, and the croquembouche- 2 flavors inside it. 

They go through all the desserts, and Mac and Mel confer on what they like the most. They decide on the final four. Mel writes it down and then hands it to Mac who nods in agreement. 

“Okay, so we have croquembouche,” he announces and Mel nods, Mac nudging her. “Announce the next.”

“Right. Uhh the next is the spiced sugar cookie with the cute turkey design.”

Jasper nods, not seeming to have anticipated that one. “Number threeee is the pecan cupcake.”

“And last but not least is the carrot pecan cupcake!”

Jasper nods. “Interesting, I thought you loved that Mocha pie?”

“Not as much as we loved the cupcake,” Mac says. “Besides, Bozer makes this to-die for apple pie.”

“Selling me out for Bozer, huh?”

“Yeah, you bet babe.”

Mel takes another croquembouche and nods. “Mac was glowing about that pie, and I believe every word.”

“Unbelievable, you love the most and you believe him about the pie?”

“I do love you the most, but Bozer is a real baker too. We can just let him have it. And now we’re going to get four fabulous desserts from you, and one from Bozer. And the best fried mozzarella balls from me.”

“Ooo Jasper makes-”

“No, mine is better,” she says. 

“You  _ have  _ to hear about it.” 

“I am denying you. Big ol deny.”

“Unbelievable, you’d so love it.”

“You’re going to love mine.”

Mac laughs. “Ugh, I am so sick of eating sugar. No more sugar until Thanksgiving,” he says, Jasper laughing. “I’m going to shower and get ready for bed, I  _ am  _ seeing Charlie tomorrow. So i have to be well rested.”

“All the better to cheat on me with.”

Mac rolls his eyes, pushing Jaspers face away when he leans in for a kiss. “He’s not even good looking like that.”

“What? Charlie is so good looking. Very buff.”

“So are you, hottest guy I know. Goodnight Mel. Are you going in with Jasper tomorrow?”

“I uh-” she starts and Jasper jumps in. 

“Of  _ course  _ she is. She’s spending every minute with me until she leaves. If I’m not in bed just assume I fell asleep in hers.”

She laughs, warmth welling in her chest. “I guess I am, then.”

“I’ll let Riley sleep in and you two can head over together. I’m used to opening alone.”

“Why? I always wake up at 6 anyways.”

“I try to be there by 6.30, besides you’re on vacation now. Stay home, sleep in. You have no obligation to be up and moving by 6 for any reason.”

“Keeps me sane.”

“You’re going to miss it when a little someone is born.”

She laughs. “Thats what everyone says, but… I’ve lost sleep before. I can take it again.” 

He nods, smiling a little too bright. “You’re going to be the best mom,” he says softly. Mac looks to Jasper, having waited out the conversation. He moves and kisses Jasper gently on the cheek. “She is, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is,” Mac agrees, and he says it easier than Jasper. “You are, you and Julius? Born to be parents.”

“Hey, is your mom coming?” Jasper asks, changing the topic, Mac seeing right through him. He kisses Jaspers stubble, going off upstairs after. 

“Oh she’s still in Columbia, believe it or not. She’s having a blast there. Her and her sister and her girlfriends are having the best time, she might never come back.”

Jasper laughs. “Damn, I did pass by Brooklyn a few weeks ago, and her shop was closed.”

“Yeah, I was thinking I’d move to Brooklyn and take over. I miss cutting hair.” 

Jasper smiles. “Would Julius come too?”

“I’m assuming so. But who knows, he could just stay in Ohio.”

“We should convince Kaori to come here too.”

“She’s been attached to Chicago lately. God knows who’s waiting for her there.”

“Why? Chicago  _ sucks.  _ She could move here, and it could be the four of us again. We can have weekly family dinners or something.”

She smiles. “I just don’t think it’ll be the same for her. Jules and I are going to have a child, I’m sure you and Mac are going to have children soon.”

“Well not too soon. We’re uh… young and adventurous and have summer vacation plans to fulfill.”

She laughs. “Well maybe  _ after  _ that you’ll change your mind.”

“I don’t know… we’re just not ready,” he says, starting to put everything away. “Did you want anymore?”

“No, I’m okay. I’m a really light eater lately.”

“Sure. Uhm… I don’t know, kids are nice from a distance. If you move to Brooklyn, we can just be your fun…  _ babysitters  _ or something.”

She nods. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, do I seem not okay?”

“You seem a little Jittery, yeah… just… I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but you seem nervous or… shifty.” 

“Oh well… it’s just been a long week is all.”

She nods. “Are you sure?”

“Mel, I love you the most, you know that.” 

“I know, that has nothing to do with this conversation. Unless it does.”

“It just sounds like you’re telling me you think I don’t want you here, and that is so far from the truth, Melly. You being here is a big relief.”

Her brows climb a bit, her interest peaking. “Yeah?”

“Yeah… I don’t know, is it so bad to have a hard week?”

“What made it hard?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Okay…” she says softly, watching him flit about the kitchen as they fall into silence. She stands tensely at the counter as he cleans up. His hands shake and his shoulders tense, and she watches as he does anything to avoid eye contact with her. He checks his phone like there is something worthy on there. “Do you want me to do anything?”

“Oh… uhm, no. It’s okay. Why don’t you go relax? The couches are  _ really  _ comfortable, they’re a real crushed velvet, very soft.”

She nods, the statement feeling superficial. “And Mac has this thing for his back- he has a lot of back pain,” he continues with hardly any notice of her, “it’s like… sort of a massage band.”

“Oh the baby isn’t that big yet. My back doesn’t really hurt much.”

“Sure, but if you need it-”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Did you want tea or something?”

“Are you going to drink that tea with me?”

“Oh well,” he seems to pause, looking towards the door and chews the inside of his cheek. “Sure,” he says after a moment. “Mac takes long showers anyways.”

Mel nods, and she dismisses herself towards the living room. She can hear him clattering about the living room as she gets settled on one of the velvet recliners. The bottom part pops open and a startled whiskey runs out from under the coffee table. She smiles, grabs a blanket and relaxes. She just sits in silence, listening as the house falls to the sound of Jasper cleaning up the kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove and the sound of rushing water for the dishes to soak. 

The sound of the water rushing from the shower upstairs is vague, and Riley seems to be moving about, doing what she can’t tell, and she’s on the phone with someone. The front door pops open, and Jasper pops out of the kitchen to meet Jack’s smiling face. “There’s no dinner tonight but there’s a  _ shit ton  _ of dessert.”

“Bake off?”

“Bake off.”

Jack accepts it and Jasper gestures to the living room and says something about Mel being there. Jack looks over, and his smile changes a bit, a welcome to her. “There’s the lady. Jasper is like that little girl in halloweentown, been saying someone is coming for a while now,” he teases.

Mel laughs, and she goes to put down the recliner but Jack waves her off. “Don’t move, you stay comfortable. Trust me, I seen a pregnant woman before, and if there’s anything I learned is you think you don’t want to relax until you’re seven months along and you regret not doing it all you can before.”

She laughs. “I can say hello,” she says, Jasper disappearing back into the kitchen. 

“I’ll come over,” he says, sitting on the couch beside her. “Where’s the big Boss?” that’s what he called Julius, the two got along in the oddest ways. Julius was nothing like Jack, but Jack was the most likable man she’d ever met- regardless of what Mac and Riley thought of him. 

“He’s away for some business. It gets lonely in that apartment, and well, Kaori can only be expected to give me so much of her time.”

“Sure, sure,” he says. “How you feelin?”

“Sick all the damn time.” 

He laughs. “Yeah? You try eating those desserts he made?”

“Little bites of everything. Son of a bitch likes chocolate I guess.”

“Yeah, they always do. Careful, he might come out holding a chocolate bar.”

“Much to Julius’ pleasure, I  _ can  _ still eat his empanadas. He made them in bulk when we figured it out it was of the few things I could stand.”

Jack scratches his chin and squinting, as if to measure what he thinks of that. “Kids gonna come out like his father.”

“Is that a premonition?”

“Nah, that’s Jaspers gig. He’s weird with that stuff.”

She smiles. “Yeah, I remember the first time he had a premonition. He doesn’t like that I call them that, he thinks it’s just intuition or something. But he got into the infil car, and on the drive there he said it plain and clear,  _ I think something bad is going to happen to me, but I won’t die. So nobody freak out if I do or anything.  _ Julius asked why he thought such a thing and Jasper just said it was a  _ feeling  _ he had.”

“Oh well that’s real dandy. I would’ve thought he did it on purpose.”

“That’s the thing, we all thought he was going to go out of his way to get hurt, but he just geared up with extra precaution. And when we kept poking him, he said he just had a feeling. He just felt it. Something was going to happen. He could feel it. Sure enough, he was shot in the side. We almost didn’t know, he didn’t react too severely, but Julius told me he could’ve swore he watched a bullet go into him.”

“Did it?”

“Yeah, and he waited until Exfil to say anything. He just got in and told them there was a bullet in his side, then told them how to get it out.”

Jack snorts. “And that’s why he married Mac because he would’ve done the same damn thing.” 

She smiles. Jasper walks into the living room with a plate. “What’s that?”

“Just some desserts. Did you want to eat? I can make something.”

“No, don’t you worry about me. Where’s Mac?”

“He went upstairs to shower, there’s a good chance he’s just laying on the floor with Cadmium, pretending to stretch.”

Jack laughs. “I’ll pass by tomorrow, make sure his heads screwed on right.” 

“He has so much grading to do,” Jasper says. “And he has to prepare for finals. It all hits pretty fast after Thanksgiving.”

Jack nods. “All the more reason to check on him.” 

Jasper smiles, and Jack takes the plate, ruffles Jaspers hair before walking out. “Teas almost done,” Jasper tells Mel. “Do you want me to put something on?”

“Its up to you,” she says, her eyes on him with a keen inquisition. They want to figure him out, they probably already have. He doesn’t think too much about it, it seems, and he just takes the remote and puts on something on the TV. 

“Are you cold?”

“I’m okay.”

“I could put on the fireplace.”

“Don’t stress so much.”

“I’m not stressed.”

“You seem stressed. Did I catch you at too bad of a time?”

“No, not at all.”

“The house looks fine, and I think the baby likes dessert more than food. You have nothing to worry about on my end. I’ve been here before.”

“I know.”

“So what’s the matter?”

“Nothing, really.”

She nods, and she can see guilt eating away at him for a moment, and he chews the inside of his cheek. “Jas?”

“Hm?” 

“Sit.”

“The teas probably done.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’ll get the tea and I promise I’ll come sit. Here, you pick something.”

She feels helpless, watching him deteriorate under the weight of something she couldn’t see. She wonders if his world was collapsing, or if he was in a fight with a friend- was he lonely in New York? It wasn’t a small town, community was harder to find. She sits up, crossing her legs, and she puts on a Christmas movie. It’s not very distracting, she’s seen it a million times before. She thinks it’s one that Jasper likes. 

He comes back with tea and he hands her, her mug to put on the able next to her. He sets the tray down on the cushion furthest from her, reassuring her that he’ll sit beside her. He grabs a star wars blanket from the closet, she knew it wasn’t his, and he sits on the couch beside her, his knees drawing up to his chest, then he releases them, criss cross. He doesn’t snuggle close to her, or lean his head on her shoulder and tell her he missed her. Were they fighting? 

There is a long stretch of silence, as the movie goes on. She checks her phone a few times, trying to fend off the worry that builds in her chest. He hadn’t been this quiet with her since the first time she stayed alone with him at his house in Ohio. 

_ “So, what do you like to watch?” she asked him, moving around his little cottage. It was a sort of shabby place, old. He’d dressed it up as best as he can, and she figured he didn’t have much money. Nothing was new, not even the furniture.  _

_ “I don’t like to watch TV really. Too much noise.” _

_ She nods. “Well, do you like music?” _

_ “Sometimes.” _

_ She laughs. “What  _ do  _ you like, then?”  _

_ He seems at a loss, and it seems she’s asked the wrong question, and his face seems to be in total defeat as he tries to search for an answer, or maybe he was searching for the right answer. “Well, it’s nothing that you would like,” he tells her. _

_ “How do you know?” _

_ “They’re boring.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Because… well they just are.” _

_ “Like what?” _

_ He shuts down at the idea of talking to himself. He doesn’t seem to like it all. He was the quietest 21 year old boy she’d ever met. Nothing about him was boasting the way it was at work, where Carter whispered instructions to him, she wonders if they were instructions of confidence.  _

_ “I could tell you the things that I like,” She tries. _

_ He just nods.  _

_ “Well, I really like witch craft sort of things.” _

_ “Witch Craft?” _

_ “Sure, not like potions or anything but… you know, like stones and their different energies and… healing with yoga or stuff like that. I guess it’s not witch craft, but it… ties in with that belief a little bit.” _

_ He nods. “My family uh… believed in that sort of stuff. Werewolves and witches and anything in between.” _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “Yeah,” he says, opening up a little. “They didn’t agree with it, but they believed in it. There’s a tall tale that my great great great great grandmother killed a giant beast, he had been her brother… he was turned into a werewolf and she hunted him to save the village.” _

_ “Huh… what was her name?” _

_ “Marie-Jean Valet.” he stops and he goes to a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen towards the door. He opens it, there were books and all sorts of stuff in there. He pulls out a little box and opens it. He shows her a silver watch, instead of numbers was a carving, a beast on impaled on a long spear, and a girl kneeling before him, holding the spear. “My mom used to tell us the story when the power went out in the summer… because of the thunderstorms.” _

_ Mel smiles, looking at the beautiful watch. “Is this her watch?” _

_ “It was my grandmothers. It was all she left me.” _

_ She nods. “Do you miss your family?” _

_ There’s a guilt that overrides him, and he’s easy to read.  _

_ “You don’t have to answer.” _

_ “It’s complicated,” he says. He puts the watch away, and he locks the cabinet. He puts the key in a drawer, and his every movement is methodical. He sits at the stool quietly, and he waits, as if expecting her to keep talking.  _

_ “Well, I also like other things,” She says. He doesn’t respond. “I like…” she looks around a moment, trying to assess what he liked, if maybe she could find common ground with him. “Well I like plants,” She says. “Do you?” _

_ “Gardening is nice.” _

_ “Sure. It’s really relaxing. Do you garden a lot?” _

_ He shrugs. “What’s a lot?” _

_ She smiles, and she steps closer, then steps back. They weren’t there yet. His clothes looked hand stitched, even his suits. “Do you like to sew?” _

_ “I help Mrs. Folgers in town. Her and her husband sew… well, it helps me get clothes. They made me the suits I wear, as a present for getting the job.” _

_ “That’s very nice of them.” _

_ “Yeah, the people around here… they’re really nice.” _

_ “Did you think they wouldn’t be?” _

_ “I’d never left my house before this. Not without my family. I didn’t know what other people were like.” _

_ “Some are bad.” _

_ “You’re not bad though. I like you.” _

_ She doesn’t know why, but Mel melts into a smile, her heart warming. She offers her hand. “Why don’t I make us some tea? And then we can watch something that’s not really loud.” _

_ He nods. “No guns.” _

_ “No guns.” _

_ “Or violence.” _

_ “Or violence,” she assures.  _

_ “I made this really soft blanket, I think you’ll like it.” _

_ “Get as many blankets as possible.” _

_ “I’ll light the fire place.” _

_ She smiles, it was progress.  _

She looks over at Jasper as he hugs his mug to his chest, as if to keep him warm. His eyes were on the TV but he wasn’t watching. He was somewhere else. His head was somewhere else. He wasn’t with her, and he wasn’t talking to her, and he was hiding in his head. The way that he did when he was younger.

“Was the flight over awful?”

“No, it was okay,” she says. “It’s warmer here than it is in Ohio. Perks of living by the mountains, I guess, right? All the cold makes its way down.”

He smiles. “Sure, same here, with the water. But it hasn’t been super freezing yet. You know, it’s just… cold all the time, but it’s not  _ cold  _ all the time.”

“Yeah… but cold is cold. All feels the same after a while.”

He nods, sipping from his mug slowly. 

“So what’s been going on with you guys?”

“Uhm.. not much. We go to work everyday, we come home. Sometimes I make dinner, sometimes we get take out. We bought a nintendo switch recently…”

“Really?”

“Yeah it’s funny… it just kind of happened is all. Its not even like we really  _ wanted  _ one, it just felt right to buy one at the time. You know, when you feel really bad about something so you go and you make this big purchase like it’ll fill some sort of void? That’s all it was. A big purchase. It’s fun when you have the time to use it I guess…. It was nice to  _ think about  _ having one, and then I mean, it’s really not great. Right?”

“I don’t know if you’re talking about a nintendo switch anymore.”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have the time.”

Jasper doesn’t say anything at all. In fact, it’s a long time before he says anything back ot her, their conversation hanging in the air. The movie finishes, the room gets dark. He switches off the lamp as he walks to the kitchen with the mugs on the tray. She gets the idea that they’re going to bed. She isn’t wrong, because he seems done in all the same. 

They stand there, in the living room. “So…”

“We wanted to adopt a baby,” he says, out of nowhere. “And our lawyer turned out to be the worst advocate. And the agency he was trying to get us a child from said we weren’t suited to be parents- because we were  _ gay _ ,” he says, tears welling in his eyes out of nowhere. “So I guess it just really sucks.”

“That does really suck.”

“Just to answer your question earlier.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, we did buy a switch.”

“I believe you…” she reaches out to brush his tears, but he seems like he wants to recoil from her touch. She’s long learned to push past his shame when he needed her. “Doesn’t mean you’re incapable.”

“I know. Just really  _ sucks.  _ It’s not even a big deal,” he says.

“Yes it is.”

“There’s o-other agencies,” he tries to reason, his voice going up in pitch, tears to break the threshold, dive past his eyelashes. “A-a-and other ways to get a kid,” he says, sniffling, trying his hardest not to cry. Mel takes him into her arms, hugging him tight and he doesn’t hesitate to hug her back, bury his head in her shoulder, hiccuping as he breaks down crying. Everything pent up and hiding inside was out in the open and ugly now. She holds him, letting him fall apart in her arms, keeping his weight up as he puts all his trust in her. 

Mel knows in her heart that there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for him, that she would always protect him like he was her child. 

_ “Were they bad people? Your family, I mean.” _

_ Jasper is really quiet, the air between them stagnent. “Yeah… they were bad people.” _

_ “Did they hurt you?” _

_ “Depends on what you mean by that.” _

_ “All forms of the word.” _

_ His breath staggers. “Every form of the word, they hurt me… I hated it there. I’d never go back… but that’s the thing, I miss them all the time.” _

They end up upstairs and Jasper just leans his head on her shoulder. “How’s Mac feel about this?”

“He’s better now.”

She nods, looking at him, really looking at him, and she offers her hand to him, between them on the bed, he rolls over and presses her face into her shoulder. 

“I really needed you here.” 

“I’m not leaving anytime soon.”

-The Next Morning- 

She wakes up to Jaspers alarm, and he takes a moment to creak to life, but he does, and he turns it off as quickly as he can. He finds his way to his room, careful not to wake her, even if she’s already awake. The doubles doors open, and then she hears them shut. 

Her body caves in, and she just goes back to sleep. 

“We talked,” Jasper tells Mac, who’s putting on his running clothes. “Don’t you think it’s too cold? Please work out in the gym downstairs.”

“I miss running outside.”

“This is an awful place to run anyways.”

“The highline is a perfectly nice place to run. Besides, I think the water will be nice today. I’ll wear a jacket.”

Jasper nods, Mac taking him into his arms. They hug, just for a moment. “Coffee should be done.”

“Thanks love.”

“And I left you a sandwich for breakfast. Its on the kitchen table.”

“Out of what?” 

“It’s just avocado on a a toasted croissant. And  _ no  _ i didn’t burn it this time.” 

Jasper laughs, pulling Mac in for a kiss. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’ll be okay.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Jasper smiles, kissing Mac gently. “Je vais mieux avec toi, chérie.”

Mac laughs. “You’re being evasive.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” 

“Its okay if you’re not… You can be upset about this too.”

Jasper nods, thinking a moment. “What day is it?”

“Thursday.”

“Did you ever call your dad to tell him not to come?”

Mac gasps, and looks like he could drop dead. “Shit!”

“Okay, I didn’t say it so you could  _ panic. _ ”

“I forgot, I totally forgot. I should- oh my gosh. How did I forget?”

Mac groans. “Okay, I have to go put Cadmium in her little booties so we can run- Hey Siri, remind me to call Dad at 12.30,” he says to his phone, his phone responding with an  _ okay Mac.  _ He looks to Jasper, who rubs his shoulder. 

“Go run,” he tells Mac. “Come on.”

Mac nods, the two going downstairs, finding Riley puttering down sleepily. “Go back to bed,” Mac says as they catch up with her. “You’re going to go in whenever Mel wakes up.”

“I’m not complaining,” she says, turning around and trudging back to bed. Jasper laughs, following Mac down the rest of the stairs. 

“I’m gonna miss her when she goes back,” he says.

“You don’t think she’ll choose to stay?”

“Not at first… I don’t think.”

Mac nods. They go to the kitchen, Cadmium drinking from her water bowl. Whiskey is laid up beside her, blinking her big cat eyes slowly, then rolling over on her back, exposing her tummy. Jasper smiles, leaning down to kiss her tummy. “Did Mac feed you?”

“He did,” Mac says, taking Cadmium by the collar. Cadmium happily follows, Jasper smiling. 

“You know, it’s not that I don’t… feel bad about it all,” he says from the kitchen, Mac looking up as he dresses Cadmium, a little cape and booties with, then her leash. “I just,” he comes to the doorway of the kitchen with his mug of coffee. “Well… I don’t know.”

Mac nods, standing up and going to kiss him. “I know baby…” he coos, and he leans his head on Jaspers shoulder. Jasper tilts his head and kisses him. “Right here if you need me.”

“I know.”

“You’re going to be late.”

“Thanks for the breakfast babe.”

“Of course darling.”

\- Around 6.15 PM- 

_ Riley remembers once when she was about 11, long before she’d gone to prison, she went to the Dominican with her mom to see her family. They lived in a big family compound, like the ones she went into at the Phoenix. She trudged in, hiding behind her mom as her family spoke with ease as they greeted her. The room was large, decked with beautiful materials, large couches, men in suits and silky shirts. There was children running all over, and a big, three tier cake in the center of the table with all other desserts and foods around it. The kids were laughing as they chased each other, playing games and pretending to be monsters. The girls pretended to be Doña and the others were maids. They bossed the boys around, saying “Soy la dama de la casa, DEBES escucharme.”  _

_ Her mom walked her in, and she spoke perfect spanish to her relatives. It was rare that they got a chance like this. Jack had paid for the trip, and she remembers her big lower lip sticking out as she realized Jack wasn’t going with her. He had kissed them goodbye and Riley had hugged the bear he got her from his visit to texas tightly, he didn’t know she packed it. She told him she hated it. But really, she loved it so much. More than she had loved anything else in her whole life. Her eyes mist a bit as she looks around, clinging to her moms skirt.  _

_ “Mira como has crecido!” They told her. “ven a abrazar a tu tía,” they said. The heat from the Dominican sun was bruising, she was already sweating, and she was dressed in black jeans and a decent shirt, but they said to her mom, “¿Cómo puedes vestirla así?” And her mom would say Riley wasn’t much for dressing up.  _

_ She remembers her tía Carmona, with beautiful hair that flowed down her back. The dress that hugged her perfect body. It was emerald green, and her nails were a sharp red. Christmas there was different, and the sun was ripe like no other. Riley couldn’t speak much spanish, but she could understand. Tía Carmona had smiled, and went to look at Riley.  _

_ “Ella va a ser hermosa pronto. Ella va a tener un millón de trajes.”  _

_ Riley had beamed at the praise from her beautiful aunt. She had watched her put down the child on her perfect hip and she offered Riley her hand. Her seductive beautiful lured Riley in like a siren, her golden eye shadow on her perfect afro-latina skin shimmered, and her light blush seemed to be a part of gleaming face. She was a cover model, unlike her other aunts, all beautiful in their own way, not nearly as beautiful as Carmona.  _

_ She had followed her to the table and she took a guava off the table and broke it open with a knife. “come la mitad, pequeña sobrina. Nunca puedo terminar uno solo.” Riley remembered looking to her mom who nods, and Riley took the half shyly. She wasn’t as outgoing then.  _

Jasper had come home earlier than her, and she’d closed as it started to snow outside and all the crowds left like he advised. He’d gotten a few dozen fresh guava fruits from a friend, and he’d brought a good deal home. He was in the kitchen with Mel, who had flicked open a hand fan, the glimmering gold fan glistening with each swish, her emerald green wool sweater hanging on her body, clinging to her body comfortably. 

She walks in to the scent of perfume and fresh guavas. Jasper stood beside Mel at the table, breaking open a guava with his bare hands. The pink guava ripe and oozing with juice. “voulez-vous la moitié?” he asks, offering her the larger half of two. 

“Uh…”

“Half,” he clarifies. “ _ Moitié  _ is half,” he says, smiling and she nods. She remembers a few months ago she’d felt it must have been easy for Jasper to fall for Mac- who wouldn’t? But she sees him now, his glistening cranberry red shirt, his emerald rings in gold encasing. She thinks it’d be easy for anyone to fall in love with him first. 

“Sure,” She says, taking half the guava. Jasper winks at her, before offering Mel the other half. She shrugs it away. 

“Maybe later,” Mel says. Jasper nods, his teeth sinking into the fruit, and she sees it’d be easy to want to live a life with someone who cherishes a fruit the way he does. 

“How does a Rosemary roast chicken sound?”

“Oh, delish,” Mel says. “The snows picking up. Has anyone called Mac?”

Just then the door opens, Jack walking in. 

“Howdy, got you a yule log,” Jack says.

“From where?”

“HQ.”

“A whole yule log?” Jasper asks, taking it in his hands, the plate with the Yule log inside. 

“Sure, take off the foil. Its a whole log.”

“Hellooo, are we forgetting about Mac?”

“He’ll catch the shuttle. If he wanted me to pick him up, he would’ve called. He doesn’t like when I show up uncalled for. Pressures him or something.”

Jack takes a guava, thinking it’s a pear. Riley laughs as he looks perplexed. She finally bites into hers, and she’s sure she doesn’t look nearly as attractive eating the fruit as Jasper does, he does everything without effort. He washes his hands before running a wet hand through his hair, pushing it back. 

“Mac can’t stand the snow,” Jack notes. 

Jaspers phone goes off just then. “Don’t you know? He’s a changed man, loves the cold, loves the snow.”

Jack laughs. “Is that a joke?”

“No, he said it himself,” Jasper says, answer his phone. “Hello my tropical fish, we were just talking about you. Oh we were saying how changed you are, how you  _ love  _ the snow and all. Yes I can come pick you up. Are the shuttles down? Oh I see. Did you want me to come now?” he asks, Cadmium walking up lazily to Jasper. “Okay, I’ll see you in an hour love. Yes, I love you too,” he promises, before hanging up. 

“I can get him,” Jack says, as if itching to talk to him. 

“Sure, and make sure he called his dad. He said to pick him up in an hour.”

Jack nods, Riley finishing her guava half and washing her hands. Jasper takes a chicken from the fridge and sets it up in warm water to defrost. Dinner would happen a little late it seems, but nobody minded. He looks in the fridge, going through every ingredient. Riley can see him thinking about it. 

“How’s a little run of Hors D’oeuvre sound until the chicken is ready?” he says, taking out nectarines. He goes to the bread closet he has, taking out a loaf of pumpernickel. He takes some olive oil, some herb cheese. They watch as he puts together a nectarine and cheese toast situation. Jasper leaves 2 slices on the side, not eating one himself. Even Mel didn’t question it, and Riley sits in the chair, looking around. She felt 11 again, in a foreign country of riches and words she didn’t understand. 

Jaspers glistening grandeur takes her to a place she once knew for Christmas break. She wonders if Jack remembers sending her off, and she wonders if Jack remembers she had cried when he did. She watches Jasper make a few appetizers, and starts preparing the side dishes for the chicken. He does it all with ease, and he glimmers. 

“Riley, pouvez-vous venir aider?”

“I can come help,” she assures. “See? I’m getting better at french.”

He smiles with pride, and she’s not a shy little girl anymore. Jasper ushers her along, showing her how to make the dish he wanted her to prepare. She moves as fast as she can, trying to keep up with Jasper who moves with mastery. No faulter in his step. 

Jack leaves to go get Mac while Jasper prepares dinner, the scent of the dishes filling the air. Riley moves with ease, and she feels that one day she’ll walk back into the house and feel like a guest more than someone who belonged there. Jasper moves around her with ease, taking up a vibrant conversation with Mel, a mix of French and Spanish. Riley can’t keep up but she likes the sound anyways. 

The world moved easily as they cooked, as Jasper stuck the chicken in the oven. Mel got up and went to the living room, her stomach showing to be round when her dress clung to her. Jasper stops her, and kisses her head, Mel laughing. 

“Thank you,” she coos before going to the other room. She turns on french music, Jasper knows most of the words, and when Mel comes back in, she sways to the songs. Jasper laughs, dancing around her. The french, upbeat folk song fueling them. At least Riley thinks its french. She isn’t really sure what it is. They make a good pair, either way. The two worked so well together, and something about them seemed like they knew each other forever. Like they had always been bonded at the hip. 

Time passes, and they mellow down, Jasper making enough warm appetizers for him and Mac to enjoy. Mac and Jack walk in laughing just as Jasper finishes setting up the table. 

“I’m home!” Mac says, dropping his heavy bag down. Jasper laughs, pulling him in for a kiss. “I made appetizers. The chicken is still cooking.” 

Mac nods, hugging Jasper. “I missed you today.”

“He was traumatized,” Jack teases. 

“Severely. I hate kids, I hate them so much.”

“College… kids?”

“Yeah.”

“Like the kids you teach?”

“Well I’ve never had  _ those  _ two, but yes, in the general sense, I hate the age range I teach.”

Jasper laughs. “Why’s that? What  _ two  _ did  _ what _ exactly to traumatize you?”

“You don’t want to know,” Mac says.

“They were having sex,” Mel ventures. He winces.

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“Nooo, really?”

“Imagining going to your classroom early to set up and there’s two 19 years olds just  _ going  _ at it. I literally walked out and got a janitor. Then Dean Thomas saw me and was like-”

“Who’s Dean Thomas?”

“My  _ Boss.  _ I mean we’re friends but still, and he was like ‘what are you doing?’ and I had to explain that two teenagers were having sex on my desk and that I wasn’t going in there until it was wiped down with as much disinfectant as possible.”

“Don’t they have dorms?” Riley asks.

“You would think. Anyways, we were invited to the Christmas party,” Mac says. “And the butcher sent his catalogue to order the Thanksgiving bird.”

“Okay, well I’ll circle the turkey for you,” Jasper says, looking through the mail Jack left on the table. Mac ventures for the toast and takes a bite, humming. 

“I like this. Not for thanksgiving though.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, this is a Christmas dish.” This doesn’t stop Mac from eating the whole thing, and riley is still trying to help as best as she can. She wants Jaspers pride and affection, for whatever reason in that moment, his approval of her felt important. She looks over at the two, the relentless care Jasper had of her reckless older brother. Macs quiet, letting Jasper chat his ear off about whatever it was that was on his mind. The magazine he read earlier, the decorations they were making for Thanksgiving. 

Mac's big blue eyes follow him innocently. “Riley is artistic, she can help,” Mac says. “We’re dressing the house up for Thanksgiving. It’s going to be the perfect Thanksgiving.”

“This is the Turkey- okay? This number. Did you call your dad?” Jasper cuts in before Riley can agree or disagree. 

“I did call my dad, and he just… sounded like he I don’t know- wanted to be here? So I agreed.”

“You did.”

“It’s only for a day, he said. Just friday. He’ll be gone before our date day on Saturday… maybe.”

“Are you sure?”

“He says he has to be on an op for Saturday.”

“So… what are we doing?”

“Well, I guess we could take him to dinner.”

“Take who to Dinner?” Jack asks, walking back in with Cadmium on his tail. He throws her ball again, their puppy launching across the hall to catch it. 

“My dad tomorrow night.”

Jack makes a face and Jasper laughs. “Yeah well, lets try not to do that in person.”

“Jack is  _ not  _ coming,” Mac says. “No- no! You’re going to make him feel bad, and then it’s going to be awkward and then he’s going to yell at me, and then I’m going to be upset. And I am determined not to be upset.”

“Are you inviting him to Thanksgiving?” Mel asks, Riley eyeing Mac as if to guess his answer. Jasper raises a brow, seeming not to know the answer. Riley thinks there are few times where Jasper doesn’t know the answer coming out of Macs mouth, they were so well versed in the other. So easily understood each other. But right now, he seemed to be waiting for an answer like everyone else. Like he had no idea what was going on through Macs mind.

“I guess we’ll see how tomorrow night goes.”

Jasper nods, looking to Jack who also nods. “Fair. Uhm… so who is invited to dinner, exactly? Since you know, I’m not allowed near big ol’ Daddy Mac,” Jack says. 

“Just going to be me, Jasper and my dad.”

“I’m invited?” Jasper asks.

“Yeah… I married you for a reason.”

“Oh well-”

“You’re going.”

“Okay, okay.”

“If he asks about me, I moved to France,” Riley says.

“Noted. I won’t tell him that, but, Noted.”

“Mean, why not?”

“Because Macs a horrible liar, so I’ll tell him,” Jasper chips in. “I doubt he’ll bring you up, if he does… well I guess that’s a different story.”

Mac rolls his eyes. “There’s a rumor going around that Melville is dating a student.”

“Didn’t Lauren say that during the study session?”

“Yeah, she said that this one girl was ‘his bitch’ or whatever, but now a lot more people are talking about it. I don’t know the girl, but I really don’t like it. Jeremy shares an office with him, so if there’s any truth to it, I’ll probably know soon.” 

Jasper nods, squinting. “Keep me updated.”

Mac laughs, kissing Jasper on the cheek softly. “I definitely will.” 

Dinner is a casual affair, as if Mel was not impending on their lives. There was no hosting, nothing fancy. Jasper had thrown more lavish dinner parties just because Mac came home after his monthly trip with his dad. He stayed in his nice clothes that he’d worn to work, and he gave up his seat for her. 

Mel doesn’t question it, she seems like she belongs there. Every movement seemed calculate, strong. Jasper serves everyone, he does most nights, but this time he does it a bit more delicate. He takes extra care of Mel, and then treats everyone else just the same. His position across from Mac feels like a demotion but Jasper doesn’t mind for a minute. He’s overjoyed by Mel’s presence.

She digs her fork into the chicken and moans with joy. “Oh this is  _ amazing _ ,” she comments. “You should have a restaurant not a bakery.” 

“I like my bakery. Less work, and I don’t need a thirty person staff to run it.” 

“You could use a few more people,” Mac notes. 

“Well I have Lauren starting soon, don’t I?”

“Yeah but… trained people preferably. To help you bake.” 

“Oh I’m okay. I have it all down pat.”

“I’m just saying, one more baker in the kitchen wouldn’t hurt. Then you can take days off if you’re sick or… you know, just want to go out. You don’t have to close, you can just let the other baker open.”

Jasper hums. “Well, maybe I’ll think about it.” 

Riley wants to say  _ she  _ can become well learned and be the second baker. She wants to offer herself up as a manager, and say she could use the money to save up for her own apartment. But she keeps quiet, digging into her potatoes. She watches the conversation come and go, the way Mac and Jasper share longing gazes on occasion, something deeply magnetic there. Do her and Chance have that? Thinking about him makes her heart race, in a way it hasn’t in a while. Should she text him? 

The world comes and goes for her, as they eat, they clean up, and everything feels like it’s already become a memory she’ll look back on. She watches as Mac washes the dishes, leaning on the counter beside him. 

“Can you please stare a little less intense.”

“Hm?”

“You’re staring really intense.”

“I just feel like… I don’t know, I want to remember this.”

“Me washing dishes? Riley I do this every night.” 

“Just like in general. I want to remember tonight. It feels special.”

Mac purses his lips before nodding. “Sure,” he says, not quite understanding. Jack walks in, looking between the two. “Stand still, Riley is trying to make memories.”

“For what?”

“Well, it just reminds me of when I was 11.”

“Why?” Jack asks. 

“Because… when I went to the DR aunt Carmona gave me a guava, that’s the last time I’d ever had one. Remember that trip?” 

“I remember. You were itching to get away from me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Seriously?”

“Cmon, you don’t remember? I realized you weren’t coming when you hugged me goodbye and I cried right there in the airport.” 

Jack laughs, almost scoffing as he tries to remember. Mac looks up, eyes glancing between them. “I don’t remember that, actually. You’re not joking around are you?”

Riley smiles fondly. “No… I remember, I started crying and I kept asking mom why you weren’t coming. I felt so betrayed that I was getting on this plane and you were staying home. I cried the whole plane ride there, hugging that bear you got me from Texas.”

“You  _ kept  _ that?”

“Yeah… I have it upstairs in my bag. Huggle wuggles. Helped me through all the worst… I always kept it. I just thought you’d think I’d lame if you knew, and I begged mom not to tell you. I told her the whole ride there that if she told you I cried for you I’d never forgive her.” 

Jack laughs, opening his arms and she rushes forward to hug him. “Aren’t we glad we’re past that phase?” he jokes. 

“Yeah… I just wish she knew how much I missed her sometimes. But she’s off, living her own life.”

“It’s okay, Riley. I got you, all the time, you and huggle wuggles.” 

Mac turns off the water as he scrubs at a particularly harsh plate. He feels a little left out, he knows as much as Jack cares for him, Riley holds a different place in his heart. It was entitled to believe he’d always be on top, but he wasn’t his dads favorite, and he wasn’t Jacks favorite… well he didn’t feel like he was. He just felt secondary in the child department, he wasn’t really good at being a son. 

Jasper slips in, “Wow what a love fest,” he teases as he slips in and rests his head on Macs shoulder. 

“Look who’s talking,” Jack says, Riley and him standing apart. 

“I married him. He gets to feel all my love and adoration, don’t you baby?” He asks and Mac laughs, poking his nose with soapy hands. 

“Yeah,” he agrees softly. 

“Qu'est-ce qui préoccupe votre esprit?”

“rien. juste à y penser,” Mac says, working on scrubbing the plate clean. 

“qu'en est-il de?” Mac doesn’t say anything. “chérie, que penses-tu?” 

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” 

Jasper nods. “Just a hard day? Well… I guess someone was hard, it wasn’t you.”

Macs shoulders sag and he shakes his head. “Who does that? My poor desk. I’ll never feel the same about that desk.”

“Very tragic,” Jasper teases, kissing his temple. 

Mac laughs. “Yeah, my trauma is just oh so funny to you.”

“You’ve seen worse things than two freshman having sex.”

Mac scoffs. “Okay move so I can finish washing the- hmm?” he hums as Jasper kisses him. 

“See, now I just think we should leave,” Jack teases. Mac laughs, pushing his husband off, with his wrists. 

“The dishes won’t get washed if I keep getting kissed,” he says. “Riley and Jack were the ones being all sappy. Why don’t you all grab some champagne or juice or something so Mel doesn't feel excluded, go sit and watch a movie. I’ll be there soon.”

Jasper looks to Riley and Jack, shrugging. “Okay… you want me to stay here?” Jasper asks.

“No, you go sit with them. I have a lot of work to do anyways.”

“Oh sure… and you’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine. Like I said, just really tired.”

Jasper nods, and Mac leans over to give Jasper a quick kiss before he goes into the other room. He rubs down the dishes, trying not to overthink. Why did it make him so upset that Jack and Riley had memories that traced so far in her life? He felt his stomach swim with anxiety, butterflies welling with green envy. He wanted to push it down, or maybe to just vent to Jasper for an hour, see if he thinks it’s ridiculous to feel that way. 

He sighs, finishing up the dish that he’d been working on. He washes the sink, then his hands and dries off. He finds that Jasper has taken the catalogue for the meat, even when Mac said that he would order it, a bit of panic sinking into his stomach- 

Well, okay, it should be known that Jasper Sheriff is an  _ amazing  _ chef. He makes everything with such elegance and perfection.  **But** the thing is, he can’t cook a turkey for his goddamn life. They’ve done this all 5 years of their relationship- Jasper attempts to cook a turkey, and he either cooks it a little too long, or opens the oven one too many times. He just couldn’t cook a turkey. The preparation was there: he would spatchcock and glaze and herb the turkey until it was oozing with the perfect flavor. Then he put it in the oven, and it went to shit. 

So of course, they always ended up doing a rotisserie chicken, or a perfect, fall off the bone duck. One year they did a lamb because it was all the butcher at the market had. He had completely planned on feigning dumb even though the Turkey’s were 100-108 on the list of 100-900 numbered items in the poultry pamplet. Duck was 802, and he had already memorized that on the way up to the apartment. 

So maybe Mac was upset, and he had put it forward pretty harsh that he’d order it himself, but he was certain now he couldn’t be upset about whatever psychomachia over his daddy issues he was having and had to stop his husband from derailing thanksgiving by ruining yet another poor, poor, turkey. 

And so the Turkey Heist begins. He sets up the coffee and the tea, noting that Jasper hadn’t taken anything to drink or have for dessert yet. He looks through the pantry, trying to find something that might need help assembling and therefore pull Jasper away from the pamphlet and busy him in the kitchen. 

Should he make a pipe burst in the bathroom? No, Jasper would make  _ him  _ fix that. He thinks, then gets a devious idea- but then Jasper would be onto him. 

_ Okay  _ he thinks. The simple thing to do would be to just walk in there and snatch it straight from his hands. Turkey crisis absolved. 

He walks into the living room, Jasper looking up. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to go out with Charlie tonight?”

“Oh uh, something came up at work and so he said he’d pass by if he had time for a drink. I told him our doors open all night.” 

Jasper nods, and Mac sees him looking through the catalogue. Mel eyes the catalogue and gets a knowing look, her and Julius had tried every trick in the book to detach him from the idea of making a traditional turkey. 

“I said I could order the turkey.”

“You said you were busy,” Jasper points out.

“Oh sure… but uh, I can totally take fifteen minutes tomorrow to place the turkey order,” Mac reasons.

“You’re going to say that every day until Thanksgiving,” Jasper points out. “It really isn’t going to take any of my time.”

“Sure but uh… well see I had this  _ idea, _ ” Mac improvises, toying with his ring as he tries to think of something. “See, we’re this young… sort of  _ new  _ couple.”

“Uh huh,” Jasper says, eyes narrowing down to a squint. 

“And well, this is our first Thanksgiving that we are hosting.”

“Right.”

“And you see, it’d probably actually be really smart if we made our own traditions. Like  _ new  _ traditions.”

“Such as…?”

Macs eyes widen a bit and he stops twisting his ring, jamming it down onto his finger. “Uhhh like…” he racks his brain for all the things that Jasper likes. “Hunting! We could go… hunting. It’d be very uh- it’d be a really good masculine recharge.”

“You hate guns.”

“We could uhhh not use guns.”

“Do you know how to use a crossbow?”

“A crossbow?” Jack interjects. “What is this? The 1400’s?”

“Okay, so that’s like a no, right?”

Mac nods in agreement with Jack. “Do you?” he prods Jasper.

“Yeah, actually.”

“Okay well you and Jack can go hunting-”

“What? Man I ain’t shootin no baby animals,” Jack protests. 

“Why babies?” Jasper asks. “Has Jack ever even been hunting?”

Mac looks to Jack than looks to Jasper. “Yeah, he totally has.. He loves it.”

“No I don’t,” Jack cuts in, making a face. Mel laughs, Jasper raising a brow. 

“So maybe our tradition should be something we all like to do… Don’t you think, Mac?”

“Right uh… Right. So maybe we should try doing like a- like uhh not turkey.”

“You wanna be vegetarian for Thanksgiving, darlin?”

“No, baby you’re not understanding.”

“What am I not understanding?”

“I’m not saying like… Tofurky. I’m saying like no turkey.”

“That’s a cute play on words.”

“I’m serious. You can do… do a… like a- oh! A duck. You make a really good duck. You know, the one with the orange glaze and it melts off the bone.”

“Thats my  _ christmas  _ duck.”

“Sure, but… well ducks are ducks. And you’re not hosting Christmas this year-”

“Come here-”

“No let me finish.”

“No no, come here, sit on my lap-”

“Jas, love of my  _ life.  _ Please let me finish.”

“Okay, well now I’m interested.”

“See, ducks have been around since like the beginning of time- only technically because we are AC now, so like after Christ. Christ… Christmas, that’s like you know, the point. So ducks may  _ know  _ about Christmas, but who’s to say they know the difference between Christmas and Thanksgiving? Throw on a Thanksgiving glaze-”

“What’s a  _ Thanksgiving Glaze,  _ Micky?”

“It’s a… like…. Thanksgiving flavored. What’s a Thanksgiving fruit? A cranberry. A cranberry glaze. Right? So it’s not even like the duck could reanimate and walk off the table because it’s  _ Thanksgiving  _ because a duck wouldn’t damn well know what Thanksgiving is. Its much too new.”

“So it’s… evolutionary? The knowledge of human holidays, secular or religious?”

“Yyyyyeeess?” 

Jasper laughs, eyes sparkling as he watches Mac try to convince him against Turkey, its like they were in their own world. He’s about to reply but the buzzer for the door rings loudly. Mac perks up. 

“That must be Charlie!”

“Maybe,” Jasper says, standing and pulling him back by the hip, kissing his neck. “And honey?”

“Yes, dear?”

“No.” 

“We can talk about it later. Get the good wine out… do we have beer? Oh we don’t, I should’ve picked something up,” Mac says, his voice growing distant as he jogs towards the door. Jasper smiles, going to get the wine out. He hears Mac confirming that Charlie is his guest and to let him right up, and did he get the nice water? Is he warm? He goes into the kitchen. “We should sit here. I should clean the table better.”

“Okay, you were totally casual about this before you tried to swindle me out of our established tradition.”

“Jessie, all I’m saying is that we could have a new tradition.” 

“Are you okay?”

“Can you all go by Jack?”

“What?”

“Maybe I should take him out. There’s that good bar that’s-”

“It’s snowing out, you can’t drive out in the snow.” 

“I just… I haven’t seen him in a long time. Pretend you’re having a movie night or something please?” 

Jasper nods, and he kisses Mac on the head. He goes into the living room, Mac listening from the kitchen as he prepares a cheese platter, with a lot less grace than Jasper would. He sets up the wine, and he pours a bowl of chips as well. They were organic, but that doesn’t matter. Who can really tell the difference, anyways? “Movie night at Jacks?”

“I thought it was just  _ Charlie, _ ” Jack says.

“Obviously Charlie, that handsome, beefy man is his secret lover. Clearly we are being vacated so he can just go about his business.”

“I really want to see this man now,” Mel says. 

“Oh he’s  _ hot.  _ Mac won’t say it, but really good looking guy.”

“What about me?” Jack teases.

“No sir, you are like my father in law and I am not about to tell you that on the account that it’s  _ weird. _ ”

“So should we vacate before Charlie gets here?”

Mac comes in holding a tray of things to set up. He’s sure Charlie will be up any second now, and what was taking so long was beyond him. He has Cadmium hop off his arm chair so Jasper can at least brush it off. Mac moves the ottoman to the side so he’s not tempted to lay down like he normally does on the chair, Jasper adjusting everything as Mel and Riley file out arm in arm, Jack lingering behind. 

“You okay, man?”

“Yeah, I just want to spend time with my friend. I see you everyday Jack. Like  _ every  _ day.”

“What if I wanna see him?”

“Uhh tough luck,” Mac concludes. “Besides maybe you can get Jasper to tell you all about how pretty he thinks Charlie is.”

“I’m just teasing honey,” Jasper says, nudging him. “You know you’re the stars in my eyes.”

“ _ Mon Destin,  _ I know this, but my heart rages with envy that you find my lover so attractive,” Mac teases, playing along with Jaspers prior bit, making Jasper laugh. 

“Jesus you two, he’s going to get here and be confused as hell. And I mean, come on- I’m better looking right? I really am,” Jack attempts again. 

Mac just sort of nods as he arranges the snacks he brought out, He sets up the two wine glasses and fills them a quarter of the way. He has coffee in the kitchen and- “Oh! I forgot to take the tea off. Unless you wanna make it and bring it over.”

“Nah, I’ll just go turn the kettle off.”

“Nobody is answering my question,” Jack says and the two look at each other before looking at him. 

“Sure, you definitely are… hotter,” Mac supplies reluctantly. “Anyways-” there’s a knock at the door. “You two need to ship out to have movie night at Jacks. Right Jack?”

“Sure, but I just- I get the feeling you’re just not okay or you’re hiding something.”

“Like what?” Mac asks, starting to walk towards the door. 

“ _ Coming!”  _ Jasper calls so Charlie knows they’re home and have heard him at the door. 

“I don’t know man, you just seem kinda off tonight.”

“Oh was my trauma story about the teenagers copulating on my desk not enough?”

“Okay, please  _ never  _ say sex like that again. And no, I don’t know, after dinner you just got… really quiet man.”

“I’m okay. Like I told you and everyone else in this household, I just have a lot to get done. And I will now promptly avoid that by hanging out with Charlie,” he says as they reach the door and he opens the door, big, host smile turning on. His kid could be such a fake. “And here I was thinking you wouldn’t make it out tonight.”

“I almost didn’t, but I figured your home would be warmer than any Mariotte hotel could be with their fake fireplaces in the makeshift dens with their chlorine scented venues.”

“Prose to those ears of mine, Charlie Boy,” Jack says, Charlie smiling at Jack. “Nice to see ya,” he offers, extending a hand and the two hug it out. Mac watches them with a small smile, and everything feels settled and unsettled in his heart. 

“So we got a bit of a crowd tonight?” Charlie says. 

“We were just leaving,” Jasper says, walking up behind Mac, hand on his lower back. Mac relaxes, untenses. “Nice to see you again, Charlie.”

“Nice to see you too. Also nice to know that you’re as happy as ever together.”

Jasper smiles at Mac, who’s eyes trace up to him. “I think so, do you agree Angel?”

“Mmm… I don’t know, how do you feel about Charlie again?” Mac teases and Jaspers cheeks become a bit rosy. Charlie laughs. “I’m just teasing, that was  _ too  _ easy.”

“Wow, suddenly we gotta go, right Jack? It’s our time to leave. You two enjoy, don’t let Mac touch the oven- if he does, don’t let him burn the apartment down,” Jasper says, trying to leave as quickly as possible. Charlie promises not to let Mac burn the place down, watching them go. Mac shuts the door, and Charlie takes a moment to properly look around, whistling. 

“Damn, this is your place man?”

“Yeah… our first, and hopefully forever home,” Mac says. 

“It’s beautiful.”

“You haven’t even made it to the living room yet.”

“Color me impressed Mac. You guys paid for this all on your own?”

“Yeah, he’s a very successful business man, helped me invest in my own self. I learned so much from him, if I’m honest.” 

“Wow,” Charlie says as they step into the gorgeous living room that bleeds into the dining room, the high ceiling, the odd contemporary chandelier, the floor to ceiling windows that panel the furthest wall. “Man, color me impressed,” he repeats. Mac laughs. 

“You’re all colored in, the impression has gone outside the lines a little.”

Charlie smiles at Mac, and Mac smiles back. “So, he treat you good?”

“Yeah… he’s my best friend in the whole world,” Mac admits. “And not like… in the way that Bozer is. It’s so much different than that.”

“Trust me, I know. I feel that way with my wife.”

Mac nods. “Yeah… I don’t know, it just feels like a dream. You know? He takes care of me, and he loves me to no end, he makes my whole world so much better… I can only wish to do the same for him or be the same for him-”

“I’d think you are.”

“I hope I am. Do you ever feel that with your wife? That maybe you’re not everything she wishes.”

“Pretty rare. Do you have serious doubts?”

“No… not really, just lately he seems so tired, and I just want to  _ help  _ him, you know? But I always feel like… I can’t be at the bakery even if he needs me, and I can’t convince him to hire someone. So I wonder if I can help him, or do anything that isn’t a massage at the end of the day.”

“That’s all you can do sometimes. A massage at the end of the day. See that’s your hero complex-”

“There’s cheese and wine and some snacks. Also coffee in the kitchen?”

“Oh coffee sounds perfect.”

“Let me get some, then.”

“You’ have a hero complex,” Charlie picks back up. “You want to save everyone even when they don’t need to be saved. You’re probably tired too, but at the end of the day, that’s not such a big deal, right?”

Mac nods. “I guess not. God, you always know the right thing to say. Have you ever considered getting a talk show?”

“Like Dr. Phil?”

“Or Oprah.”

“Yeah, you know, for someone so famous, I’ve never watched Oprah.”

Mac thinks about for a moment than nods. “You’re right. I haven’t either. Maybe that’s what we should do tonight. Watch Oprah.” 

Charlie nods. “I like how you think.”

They pour the coffee and grab a package of milano cookies, then go to sit down on the couch and they both pull up the recliners. It was casual, comfortable, like they saw each other every week. All the time. 

Mac feels the quiet sit between them as he tries to pull up an episode of Oprah, anyone that he can find, a documentary even. They put on a more recent episode of her talk show. “So, what have you been working on?”

Charlie hums. “Same egg just refried,” he says, laughing at his own rendition of the phrase, amused at his word play. 

Mac smiles. “Nothing new then?”

“No. Life gets repetitive, don’t you think?”

“Sometimes… I don’t know, it feels like something exciting is always going on here, you should join the peanut gallary sometimes.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, one of my co-workers is a perv who is maybe getting head from the students-”

“Like blow jobs?”

“Yup,” he says, popping the ‘p’. “And today, I caught two students in my lecture hall, going at it. Just full on naked, haaaving sex. It was really awful for me.”

Charlie gives him a look. “What did you do?”

“I left as quickly as I could then called a janitor to fix it.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, then my boss saw me looking as distressed as humanly possible and imagine me explaining this to him, and then he laughed and patted me on the back.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah. It’s all….” he takes a deep breath, makes a whirring hand motion before him. 

“I feel you,” he says. “Anything new with your dad?”

“He’s still a jerk.”

Charlie laughs. “So… no progress?”

“Baby steps, we are really slowly toddling towards the word progress. He’s actually coming in tomorrow for Dinner.”

“Just… dinner?”

“Trust me this is a major improvement from the meltdown we had November 5th.”

“Like… Last week?”

“Yup…” 

“Are you okay? You seem, you know… half your usual self.”

“I guess I’m just tired. I don’t want you to leave though, I’m just…”

“Come on, get it off your chest.”

“I don’t know, we’re hosting Thanksgiving, and we were recently rejected by an adoption agency, so I guess I want this whole Thanksgiving thing to be perfect because I’ll feel validated again, but at the same time… It’s like, nobody I love ever really feels there for me. Maybe I just… need to take an anxiety pill, or see my therapist or something. But… I mean, Riley is only here because she had a meltdown and nowhere else to go.”

“I bet she did, but she trusted you with that. Right?”

“Maybe.”

“Man, your friends love you, they do. And even if things are a little shaky, family always pieces itself together again in the end. Doesn’t it?”

“Most of the time… Just wish it felt like that.” 

“Exactly. Most of the time, it works out really well. Stop stressin, Thanksgiving is going to happen and you’re never going to want it to end.”

Mac smiles. “What are you doing on Thanksgiving then?”

“You think you’re off the hook? You still gotta explain the whole baby thing to me.”

“Well I’ll only explain if you agree to stop by. The dessert, I heard, is going to be really good,” Mac teases, Charlie laughs. 

“Sure… I’ll stop by with my wife. Didn’t you tell me once he can’t make a Turkey to save his life?”

Mac takes a deep breath. “I’m working on it. Okay? That situation  _ will  _ be absolved early this year… I hope.”

The apartment is clean and practically silent once they come back. Jack had gone to bed, Mel had fall asleep on the couch and chosen to stay there. Riley and Jasper come back and find Mac on the floor making… little turkey ornaments?

“I thought we were doing ducks this year,” Jasper teases. 

“Well the decorations don’t have to match the bird you cook,” Mac says, inspecting his napkin turkey. Jasper looks to Riley, and she sits on the floor next to Mac. “Don’t touch, please,” he says. She nods, she wants to ask if he’s okay but Jack says he’s a little sensitive to the subject now. Jasper disappears to the closet in the hall and returns with a little sparkly stuffed dolphin. He sits down on the floor with the dolphin, pretending the little dolphin is kissing up his arm. Cadmium perks up at this, Mac looking over. 

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing, Mr. Dolphin wants attention.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes…”

Mac rolls his eyes.

“Tell Mr. Dolphin whats wrong.”

“Nothing,” he says softly. 

Jasper pouts, then perks up a little. “Do you remember how we got Mr. Dolphin?” 

“I do.”

“Tell me the story.”

Mac smiles briefly, taking a deep breath. “It was after my team and I were disavowed, and you were in the area for work… and I remember texting you that I was really upset about the whole thing, and we were taking a few weeks off for Matty to recover from the situation. And I just really wanted you to there for me… but none of my friends knew we were dating, yet. Then you texted me.”

“Did I?”

“You did. You said to go to my bedroom window. So I did… I went to my bedroom window and there you were… and you told me to pack a bag to go away for a week. And we went to Tuscon, Arizona.”

Riley perks up. “ _ That’s  _ who you went with? Jack freaked out.”

“I remember. He just kept texting me with angry emojis, asking where I was, who I was with… It was me and Jasper. He wanted to go to the carnival that was in Rattlesnake Ridge, just thirty minutes out of town. We went the second day, I remember feeling exhausted because we’d been hiking in the sun and I was definitely a little burnt on my cheeks, which Jasper thought was cute. He tanned really nice, though.”

She laughs, listening to Mac tell the story. He didn’t tell stories the way Jasper did, dressed up and beautiful. 

“It was night,” Jasper leads a little. “And everything was so bright and shiny. I’d never been to a carnival before.”

“I wanted so badly to win a game for him, get him one of those big teddy bears.”

“He tried and he tried, but he just couldn’t do it. So I gave it a go, and I won and they wanted me to take this big teddy bear, or there was a giant watermelon for some reason. But there was this adorable little dolphin that just reminded me of Mac a little.”

“He was my favorite thing, I kept him on my pillow for over a year.”

Jasper uses the little dolphin toy to peck Macs cheek. Mac giggles, Jasper smiling. “There’s that pretty smile of yours,” he coos, pulling Mac close. He gasps.

“Be careful! My Turkeys!”

“How did you even make these.”

“Napkins, some glue, and a little bit of food coloring.”

Jasper nods. “Smart, I would’ve never thought of that.”

“I know,” He says, rolling his shoulder up a bit. “We can put them in a container and save them for the plates.”

Jasper nods in agreement. “They’re really cute. How many more are we making?”

“I made…” he turns around and starts to count them, Jasper watching. 

“Did Charlie leave long ago?”

“7...8...9...About 2 hours ago. He stayed until 10,” he says. “15 Turkeys.”

Jasper nods. “Riley hon, you go to bed.”

She nods, heading upstairs, leaving the two alone. “Don’t ask what’s wrong,” Mac warns. “Or else you’re sleeping on the couch.”

Jasper nods, Mr. Dolphin perching on Macs shoulder, looking at him expectantly. Mac gives him a look. “Its not me, I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re staring at me with those… big eyes.” 

“What eyes?”

“You  _ know  _ what.” Mac tries not to look at him. He starts collecting his little turkeys and lays them out in a row on the floor. 

“I just wanna make sure you’re okay,” he says, leaning in to kiss at his cheek. “And you don’t seem okay…”

Riley stands at her door, listening to them, trying to see if she can hear them. She wanted to  _ know  _ what bothered Mac, she wanted to know what he was hiding from her so adamantly. 

“I don’t  _ know, _ ” he says. “I don’t know what’s bothering me. And I don’t know why it’s bothering me. Just… everything is bothering me.”

“Was it something else that happened at school?”

“No.”

“Something else?”

“Charlie gave me some advice. I probably just have to sleep at this point… I’m overthinking, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah… yeah I’m sure,” Mac says after a moment. Riley wonders if he knows she’s standing there, that’s why he doesn’t want to say anything. She wishes he told her things, she wishes he spoke to her more. He’d always been like this, there for everyone and never let anybody be there for him. She sneaks into her room when she hears someone coming up the stairs, sitting at the desk chair. She can see its Jasper from the crack in her door. She hears Mac downstairs, putting his turkey’s away. She sneaks downstairs and pops into the kitchen where Mac is cleaning up his napkin mess. 

Mac glances over and offers a small smile. “You’re thinking about something,” she says. 

“No,” he says. “Just really tired,” he says. 

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“You shut me out,” she says. “I keep asking you what’s wrong, and you always deflect, or you give me some half truth. I just… I thought maybe we were pass this.”

“You have a lot going on, and I’m not even really upset about anything right now. I don’t want to burden you.”

“Have I ever let you down?”

“N-No.”

“So-”

“It’s just personal.”

“Siblings tell each other personal things. If you don’t remember my outburst about not having sex the other night-”

“I just… I don’t know, I don’t want you to feel  _ bad  _ for me, or to feel… Well I don’t know,” he concludes. “I love you and I adore you, you know that.” 

“So… what’s going on? Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because…” Mac feels like he has to think on it or journal about it, like he can’t just come up with an answer now. 

“Because what?” Riley asks, impatient, eyes wide, nostrils flaring. 

“Because you’re not here to feel my hardships Riley. I’m your older brother, you’re… supposed to feel safe here, and like there’s nothing that can prevent that. Like it’s all perfect. I don’t want you to worry, or to-to feel like you have to worry.”

“It’s  _ eating  _ you, whatever has been bothering you since I got here. Is it me? Is that what it is?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what?”

Mac takes a shaky deep breath. “I really am not… looking for a confrontation right now, Riley. I’m sorry but, everything feels so… overwhelming. It’s not you, and it’s nothing to do with me not wanting you here, or loving you. I know you’re this strong, intelligent, amazing woman- and I tell you things, all the time. Just… some things don’t happen easily. And I just… I need to think about them.”

“I’m not a kid, you don’t have to sit and think about how you’re going to explain something to me.”

“Maybe not… I don’t think you are. I just…” he takes a deep breath, and he doesn’t know where the seed of resentment was planted, or by who, but he suddenly feels it, that Riley would never have come if she wasn’t in desperate need of reconciliation somewhere, if she wasn’t desperately seeking his attention. She had never visited before, she’d prodded Jasper multiple times before, for not being  _ good enough.  _ He knows that’s changed, he knows it’s all different now, that this was  _ months ago,  _ it even felt like it was maybe years ago even if it wasn’t. “I just need to sleep. Can’t we talk tomorrow? I’m sure they’re going to delay opening. We have time in the morning.”

Riley deflates, clearly put out. “You think he’s the only one who gets you and that’s not true. I always was there to help you, and you pushed me out in the end.”

“Riley,” he says softly. 

“That was on you, not me.” She turns and goes upstairs, Mac deflating, overwhelmed with emotions that he doesn’t want to feel anymore. He’s cried so much this past week within privacy, the shower, his office, in bed after Jasper left for work. He doesn’t even know where it began and ended, he had nothing left to give inside of him. He had no other emotion left to churn out, his heart just sinks into a deep, dark hole. 

He takes a while to make it back upstairs, Jasper waiting in bed, reading a book. He was clearly exhausted, just waiting for Mac to make it back up. Mac shuts their doors and locks them, changes into a clean set of pajamas, then drapes himself over Jaspers lap, tears stinging his eyes. 

“Riley thinks I don’t  _ tell  _ her things.”

“You’re just closed off sometimes.”

“I tell her things.”

“You’ve just been a little off tonight.”

“I tell her things, don’t I?”

Jasper props Mac up, folding him into his chest, letting his head rest on his shoulder. “Or at least I try to,” Mac continues. “I try to tell her things, and I try to be open, and I try to be the best I can be for her.”

“I know.”

“Why is she angry with me?”

“You’re just a little off tonight, is all.”

“She thinks  _ you  _ stop me from telling her things.”

“I’m sure that’s not what she meant.”

“I can tell anyone I want whatever it is I want to tell them.”

“Sure.”

“I don’t really… want to announce our issues to the world.”

“I know…”

“I mean, I accidentally told Charlie, but I didn’t know what I was saying. I was just blinded for a second.”

“And that’s fine.”

“She  _ hates  _ me.”

“She doesn’t. You’re just overwhelmed right now… why don’t you call out tomorrow, for a sick day. And we can make an appointment with your therapist.”

Mac hesitates. “I…”

“You can stay home in the morning with Riley, and I’ll be sure to leave Mel in charge and drive you over.”

“I don’t want to talk to her  _ now. _ ”

“Don’t be stubborn. She didn’t mean to hurt you,” Jasper says gently, rubbing his shoulder with affection, deliberate attention. “She just… maybe feels a little helpless when it comes to you. You’re so good at being the hero, you forget sometimes you need to be saved too.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not, and it’s okay that you’re not. Life sets us back sometimes, that doesn’t mean we’re on page one again though.”

Mac nods, and he so badly felt like he couldn’t cry anymore but the tired tears spur on anyways, and Jasper holds him until he’s fast asleep, which is not to say that Jasper didn’t fall asleep first but held him anyways. The two relaxing into the bed, and Mac would likely wake up feeling sick from all his teas. 

When his alarm goes off, Jasper wakes up but has Mac nestled against him, his legs pressed between Jaspers thighs, his hands gripping at his shirt, head pressed at the base of his neck. He turns off his alarm, Mac groaning as he’s moved. “Désolé mon amour…” 

“Don’t go to work yet.”

“I have to. Today we are doing the turkey cookies with the sprinkles on the outside. I have to get in early, make as many cookies as possible.”

Mac nods. “I’ll get up and make your coffee.”

“No dear, rest. I’ll call work for you.”

“I think I should go… it’ll be a good diversion and it’s the last day of the week.”

“tu ne te souviens pas de ce que ton thérapeute te disait?” Jasper asks, in a gentle and calm french. Mac felt at home, reassured. 

“She used to tell me… not to push myself too hard when my mentality wasn’t ready to keep going… and I’m pushing too hard now. Right?”

“A little… you’re just taking in a lot of emotional things right now,” Jasper guides, his psychology and social work training tapping in, even if vague and slightly incoherent because he just waking up. “You’re going through a lot, we both are.”

“But you’re  _ fine.  _ You wake up and you go to work and you’re not bothered by anything. And you just talk about what bothers you,” Mac says, sounding a lot like he used to when they were newer. Mac used to go green with envy for how open Jasper could be about his emotions, what bothered him, the rules and boundaries he wanted not only for their relationship but his life. He  _ understood  _ himself and Mac had never admired someone so much, while in the same breath desperately desiring what they had. The sentiment bubbles here, and Jasper isn’t sure if he means it. “I mean… you’re not fine,” Mac suddenly amends, as if noticing his own bad habit from when he was younger. “I can see it, I know you’re not and you want to be- but I just feel like… I'm letting it get to me.”

“It’s okay… do you want me to stay home with you?”

Mac hugs his pillow, as if preparing to go back to sleep. “No… I’ll be okay. You’re right, I just need a day off.”

“Do you want me to talk to Riley?”

Mac frowns. “I don’t know… I just don’t know what to say. Or what I would want you to say.”

Jasper nods, kissing his head. He gets up, leaving Mac to sleep once he’s sure Mac is comfortable and okay. He finds Riley in the kitchen downstairs, looking up when she sees Jasper, the hope in her eyes dulling.

“He’s sleeping,” Jasper offers. “He’s not feeling good.”

“I was… sort of uncalled for last night,” She says, pressing the buttons on the fancy machine. “I just… I was frustrated. I didn’t  _ mean  _ to sound so final.”

He nods, leaning against the doorway. “He’s just… going through a lot. I’ll probably make an appointment with his therapist today before we go to dinner.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine, Riley. Just give him time, trust me, I’ve widdled at him for  _ days  _ to tell me what bothers him. He needs time, he doesn’t open easy, and to be fair, you don’t either.”

“I just know something is hurting him.”

“Yeah.. it’s… we’re going through something that is personal to our marriage, and it hurts… but that’s something that is hard to work through with other people outside of ourselves.”

She nods. “Oh…”

“If you wanna stay home, you can.”

“It’s cookie day.”

“Yeah but maybe he’s more important. I’m going to go get ready, if you’re coming along well… I guess i’ll know soon.”

She nods, quieted by her thoughts. Jasper goes back upstairs, finds Cadmium on the bed, her weight on top of Macs body. He’s not sleeping, but he is trying. Jasper can tell. 

“Do you want me to take her?”

Mac shakes his head, smiling as he feels Jasper sit on the edge of the bed. “Don’t you have to go make cookies?” 

“Yeah but… I don’t know, I just… I was thinking maybe we’re not… talking about what matters. That I’m contributing a little… because I’m not really talking about what I feel these past few days, since we found out.”

“I know you don’t… feel good about any of this. You don’t have to  _ tell  _ me.”

“I don’t have to, and I know you know, but… I don’t know, that’s a problem right? I don’t want you to feel like you’re suffering alone, or that I’m not affected the way you are, or that you’re unmanageable emotionally… that’s not true, you’re not overreacting. I am being unhealthy by not talking about it…” 

Mac moves Cadmium aside for a minute, sitting up and looking at Jasper. “Venez Ici,” he says, opening his arms to Jasper. Jasper rests his head on Macs shoulder. “I love you,” he whispers. “Even if you can’t always open up like you want to.”

Mac kisses his head, and Jasper smiles. “Try to sleep for me.”

“I promise. And bring me back a hot cocoa cookie.”

Jasper looks up. “I didn’t say I was making hot cocoa cookies… did I?”

“No, but I did. I get a private batch.”

“I see,” Jasper teases, kissing him gently. “If you are going to order the turkey,  _ please  _ do so before I get home. And, I don’t know if Riley is staying home yet, but she is sorry.”

Mac nods. “Sure, and uh… so about the Turkey-”

“I’m getting a lot better!”

“We’ve said that for five years now, sometimes you just have to accept the truth. And the truth is you suck at Turkeys.”

“Maybe you just don’t like Turkey, have you considered that?”

“No because I’ve had really good turkeys before, and I enjoy turkey most of the time. But you just… you get halfway there, and then you… don’t put your heart into it the rest of the way or maybe you put too much heart into it. Whatever it is, it’s not working very well for you.”

“So you  _ don’t  _ like my turkey?”

“Well, that’s not true! It’s not that I don’t like it… It’s just that I think that you have… better, more redeeming dishes that you could offer. More valuable than say… dry.. Slightly burnt turkey. Your duck is an exceptional example of one of those dishes. Or you could make a rack of lamb, you make a  _ great  _ rack of lamb.”

“How about you order the Turkey and I will make it just right this year.”

“How do I know… that you’re not lying to me and then you’re just going to do what you do every year?”

Jasper purses his lips. “Okay how about I order it and you just wake up on Thanksgiving and the birds a surprise.”

“You’re going to order the turkey.” 

“It’s going to be a surprise and you won’t know until Thanksgiving morning.”

Mac sighs, laying back down, Cadmium climbing back onto his shoulder and sniffing him. “Can you take her for a walk?”

“Sure,” Jasper promises, leaning over for a kiss, before he goes to get ready, and he takes Cadmium downstairs where Riley is still in pajamas on the couch. “Can you take Cadmium for a walk, Riles? I’m running late,” he says. He fixes his shirt in the mirror. His thicker button up still clings to his body perfectly, tucked into the wool pants that flared at the bottom. He fixes his rings and runs a hand through his hair. Cadmium follows him to the kitchen, where Jasper feeds her. He sets up his coffee and grabs a guava to go. 

“Macs sleeping,” he informs. “I’m going to call him out from work. Uh… if you want to make him breakfast, he’s a whore for pancakes. He’ll forgive you in a heartbeat for a pancake.”

Riley laughs. “Yeah, Bozer used to do that. He used to say nothing a rotisserie chicken or a pancake couldn’t do to help Mac feel better.”

“It’s true. Why do you think we have-”

“Shush, don’t finish that sentence. It’s too early for me to remember he’s not a virgin.”

Jasper laughs. “Does that mean I’m a virgin?”

“You’re too hot to be a virgin.”

“Sure, so I’m too hot to be a virgin, but he’s… definitely still a virgin?” 

“Yeah, he said you’re very religious.”

Jasper rolls his eyes. “Okay, Riley.” 

He leaves and Riley gets dressed in her coat, takes cadmium out for her walk. She returns from the cold and into the penthouse, looking around. She sheds her coat, leaves it on the arm of the couch. She heads upstairs, sees Macs bedroom door perked open slightly. She peaks in, just to check on him and finds him fast asleep in the center of the king size bed. He looks a bit younger, his face sunken in as he sleeps. His breath is hardly visible, he’s under piles of blankets that don’t budge with his breaths. 

This odd, old, lingering fear that something has happened to her team member strikes her and she creeps closer, being as silent as possible as she checks to see if he’s okay. His face is a little puffy, as if he’d been crying, and his lips are parted in tiny, quiet snores. She sighs, climbing into the bed, since he’s in the center and nuzzling into his pillow and choosing to sleep there. She turns when she can’t get comfortable facing away from him, then nuzzles into his shoulder and hugs him. 

She falls asleep like that, hugging Mac. She thinks she could protect him that way. Nothing could hurt him that way. 

Mac wakes up with a weight on his back. He startles and sits up, Riley plopping to the pillow. He looks down in confusion, blinking awake, then laying back down. Cadmium is waiting patiently for him on the floor. He smiles, Riley obscuring his way out. The blankets were tucked in too densely and piled too high on Jaspers side. He’d emailed his students before falling back asleep, it was a pre-prepared email that he kept in his drafts, and sent it to his students. 

He just lays there for a few minutes before getting up and crossing the room to his coffee cabinet. He makes himself a mug of coffee, grabs his robe until it makes, and then grabs the mug, turns on the TV and settles in his armchair. 

He’s there drinking his coffee when Jack peaks in. “Jasper said you were home. I’m going to the bakery with Mel.”

Mac nods. He gets up and walks Jack out of the room. 

“Whats up?”

“Do you think… I’ve been neglecting Riley?”

Jack looks a tad confused. “No… Man, she lives in your house, you’ve been taking great care of her. You give so much to her.”

“Sure but do I ...  _ talk  _ to her?”

“Do you talk to her? Yes, i see you talk to her all the time. You give her so much time and attention.”

“She was just upset with me last night, that’s all.” He shuts the door and they move away. “She thinks I’m shutting her out because I have Jasper.”

“Is this about why you were upset last night?”

“It was just… a lot at once, and her and Jasper kept asking, and I said I didn’t want to talk about it, so Jasper had me talk to Mr. Dolphin.”

“Ohhh he did that trick?”

“Yeah, and he told Riley after when I wasn’t super thrilled still to go upstairs so he can talk to me. And she came downstairs and was asking why I didn’t tell her things, why I didn’t like to talk to her. And I just… I couldn’t tell her about the adoptions and… just I feel like such a  _ failure. _ ”

“You’re not a failure,” Jack says softly. 

“I feel like one. And what I was supposed to do? Hey I really feel like shit because I’m a failed never-to-be parent, and that’s making me all hormonal and emotional about everything else in my life, so I feel like a failed sibling too? Like great, real emotional dump there, maybe strike the sympathy card a little harder.”

“You’re being hard on yourself, you guys are going through a hard thing- and what do you mean  _ never to be _ ? You’re going to be. You’ll get a kid, one agency isn’t pullin the trigger on you forever man. You just… you gotta recover. You’ve always been good at that sorta thing, comin back around when life hits you hard… I saw you come up from the worst on our tours, saw you climb out of ops after your dad came back, saw you fall in love with that hunk of yours… cry on your weddin day because your daddy wasn’t there then have the time of your life anyways. Nothing in your life ever stopped you.”

Mac nods. “It just feels like everything is happening at once.”

“At least your dads comin in tonight, he can maybe stop that bad habit of hurting your feelings.” 

“Maybe.”

“Listen to me, man. You’re doing more for everyone than anyone can thank you for. Come on, just relax. I can talk to her for you.”

“Everything okay?” Mel asks, making her way up the stairs.

“Everything is fine,” Mac says, smiling. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, Jacks couch is mighty comfortable.”

Mac laughs. “I could name better places to find comfortable. But Jasper did pick them out after all, so are we surprised?”

“Not at all,” she agrees. She pats his shoulder and goes to her room to change. Jack smiles at her. 

“Stop stressin,” he advises Mac. “you need your medication again?”

“I have no idea. Jasper said I should see my therapist today.”

“Yeah, I agree. And, don’t be takin no pills if you don’t have any… permission yet. You don’t know what sort of meltdown that’ll cause.”

“They don’t work like that,” Mac points out.

“Yeah well, I’d rather you be safe than sorry,” Jack says seriously. “Listen, I know I don’t really get all this psycho therapy stuff, but I do get how badly I want you to be okay. And I do get how much I want you to feel happy with your life, to feel like you have control. If that involves getting permission to take a pill first from a person who listens to you talk about your feelings, well… wait.”

Mac nods. He knew Jack meant well, that maybe he was right. That he shouldn’t give himself any sort of dosage based on what he was feeling… or not feeling. It’s not like he was having a panic attack. Was that a bad way of thinking? He takes a deep breath. 

“I just… I don’t know, part of me just… you know, I know things have changed since she got here in August, but part of me feels like I’m no good to her unless she needs me… That’s why she came here. She needed me to help her gain stability again. But she’s… okay now. She’s gonna leave, she might not come back until she needs me again.”

Jack nods, seeing his issue. “Felt the same,” he admits. “But she came to you first… and I’ve always been there for her. So… maybe put a little faith in Riley, maybe now she knows Jasper, she knows you as this person you are now, and she knows she can come back any time she wants.”

“Yeah…” Mac nods. “Uhm…” he thinks, arms hugging his torso. “Do I tell her?”

“About?”

“The adoption thing.”

“You’re worrying too much,” Mel says as she walks out. “You tell her what feels right, what you’re going through is a very difficult, personal thing. You need to do what helps you heal your soul, not what others feel will unburden them by knowing.”

Mac nods, smiling softly. “Maternal wisdom kicking in?”

“Always had it, kid. Come on, Mr. Dalton. Bring me to the bakery. I love making cookies.”

“Remind Jasper dinner is at 5 for me,” Mac says, and she nods, agreeing. He goes back to the room to finish his coffee, Riley waking up a while later. She finds Mac just sitting on his couch, Cadmium at his feet. 

“Hey,” she says. 

“Hey. You slept late.”

She nods. “I uh… I didn’t mean what I said last night.”

“I know.”

“I hurt your feelings, that wasn’t okay… I just wanted to- well I don’t know, I wanted to feel like I mattered to you.”

“You do know you matter to me, right? I haven’t told you one thing, that’s… you know, like if you chose not to tell me about something between you and your boyfriend. Jasper isn’t my dad, what happens between us isn’t- it’s not the same kind of situation, it’s not like…. I’m seeking advice.”

“I just… I can see you hurting and not feeling well behind everything and I want to help.”

“This isn’t a situation that can be helped… it just takes time.”

“You’re not…  _ getting divorced  _ are you?”

Mac laughs. “Are you kidding? I’d literally rather die than lose my dork husband.”

“I feel like he’s not the dork in the relationship.”

“You don’t know him like I do, he’s definitely the dork, and a bigger dork than me.”

“If thaaat helps you sleep at night, sure,” Riley agrees. “I just… I want to be there for you, because you were there for me, and you’re always there for me.”

He nods. “It’s… just so hard for me to talk about it. I don’t know… It’s complicated. I uh… I have to call my therapist. But… I promise if it was something I could find it in myself to tell you, I would, the second I had the chance Riley. Now isn’t that chance for me.” 

Riley nods. “If I make you pancakes will you forgive me for being mean to you about it?”

Mac laughs. “Yeah… I will certainly consider it. If you mix in those freeze-dried strawberries in the pantry, I will extra forgive you.” 

\- some hours later- 

-Macs Therapist’s office - 

“Angus, why don’t we play a game.”

“A game?” he feels out the words slowly. 

“Yeah, a game. Something that maybe will help me understand your situation a little better, help you open up.”

“Sure.”

“So you said that you felt like you… were having trouble conceptualizing your feelings about having children and the potential of not having that opportunity.”

“Something like that.”

“You said it feels  _ impossible _ .” 

“I did.”

“What does impossible mean to you?”

“Uhm… it means it… can’t ever be done, no matter how hard you try.”

“So, is adoption impossible?”

“Maybe.”

“But there are gay men and women all over the country who are able to adopt babies. Is it impossible for them?”

“No.”

“What’s different?”

“I… I don’t  _ know.  _ Just because they got lucky-”

“Is it luck?”

“What?”

“You said they got lucky.”

“Well didn’t they?”

“You can work with more than one agency, you can talk to other lawyers, reach out to other gay couples who did adopt, or perhaps found other ways to have children. Like IVF, do you know about IVF?”

“Yeah…”

“What about… well what do you think of the word  _ father _ ?”

“Is this like a first word that comes to mind kind of game?”

“If you want.”

“Well, I think it means… abandonment, or eventually leaving. Like… Distance.”

“Because of your own father?” 

“Yeah… and Jaspers father was awful to him, so he abandoned him emotionally. Or Jacks dad… he was distant. They weren’t like  _ close,  _ just… had the feeling of it. But they didn’t talk about anything, their relationship was… well it was like it was fake.” 

“So, do you think you’d be like that… as a father?”

“As a… well I don’t know.”

“What does the word  _ codependent  _ mean to you?”

“Needing someone to be there all the time… even if you don’t really need them… well it means…. Something like… never wanting to let go.”

“ _ Love. _ ”

“Never wanting to let go, even if you don’t need them. Unconditional.”

“What’s unconditional?”

“Trust no matter what.”

“Is it trust?”

“I guess. Then what is trust?”

“You tell me.”

“It’s… something that shouldn’t be broken.”

“Why not?”

“It’s what makes  _ loving  _ unconditional… easy. If you trust someone, you can love them too.”

“Is this always true?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you  _ love  _ in your life, then?”

“Jasper, Jack, Riley, Bozer, Leanna, Mel, Julius, Kaori… Charlie… he’s my friend from the army, he works for the FBI now- am I allowed to tell people that? I don’t know. I should know, but I don’t know right now. I think I do know, I just don’t know right. I  _ used  _ to love Carlos, we were in the army together too. It’s not that I don’t love him anymore, deep down inside, it’s just that it’s not unconditional. It’s just that I can’t… I don’t even want to anymore. See I used to love him, a lot actually. Like I would rather die than live without him. But I don’t think I love him anymore, and not because I don’t trust him- does that make love complicated? Frankie, Smitty, they’re like my older siblings. I would always love them. I always will,  _ would  _ complicates the subject again. I  _ do  _ love them. All the time.

“I love Lauren and Collin. They’re my students, but… they’re the first students who I’ve ever… well I used to have a professor, he’d say  _ angus you’re like a son to me.  _ And I was only 16, and I was so angry then. I didn’t get how this man could love me like a  _ son  _ when my own dad left. I didn’t get him then, and I didn’t get anyone else. I got that I just wanted friends, but didn’t know how to make them, and I wanted to find someone who loved me, but I didn’t know anything about that either. And I remember thinking this guy was crazy for liking me like a son. Well that’s how I feel about those two. They’re like… They’re very  _ close  _ to me.”

“Anyone else?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about Matty Webber? You used to talk about her a lot.”

“I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“I just… feel like I can’t  _ trust  _ her sometimes. Like everything is grey between us. I like her. She’s nice. But I don’t trust her.”

“You once said you thought she was like a mom to you.”

“I was cracked.”

“Do you believe that about your former self?”

“I believe that she’s  _ not  _ my mom. And I didn’t know my mom, but if my dad turned out to be the way he is, than how much better was  _ she _ ?” 

“Well… maybe your dad was a lot better before she died. Grief does strange things to people. Do you feel like your grieving?”

“I feel like I’m… like I’m…  _ drowning.  _ Like I’m seeing the world under water.”

“Do you want to get out of bed every day.”

“Sure.”

“Sure sounds uncertain.”

“I mean, does  _ anyone  _ want to get out of bed at 6 AM? No. But do I do it? Yes. I get out of bed, I go to work, I went to Veterans day dinner, I had the holiday baking championship my husband and I do for Thanksgiving. I feel…  _ happy  _ most of the time, like everything is normal. I wake up and I do everything, and then I’m alone and i just remember. I’m a failure, I can’t have a kid, and it’s because I have a husband, and they don’t think that’s okay.”

“Do you think it’s okay?”

“Yeah. I married him. If I thought it was wrong, I wouldn’t have even kissed him, let alone shared a bed with him or married him or… well, why would I think it’s wrong? I  _ married  _ him. And just because they think that, doesn’t mean I do. Jasper is the best person in the whole wide world. He’s so good at heart. I love him with my whole heart, with  _ more  _ than that. There’s nothing that can describe what I feel for him, what he makes me feel, what he feels for me. It’s… indescribable.” 

“Is there anyone else in your life who is like that to you?”

“No.”

“Do you ever… find yourself doing things that are self destructive lately?”

“I just feel like… I remember everything and I feel left behind. I feel like… like… I love all these people but I have never loved anyone so long that they can tell me  _ when you were ten  _ or something. Except for Bozer, but he lives so far.”

“But don’t you love Bozer?”

“Yeah, but… he’s so far that sometimes it feels like there’s a barrier, like I can’t talk to him. I guess that’s because I used to live with him. For the longest time...for years of my life...he was always right there… I think maybe I miss him… I think that I feel like I want to be who I was before sometimes… He was  _ miserable  _ but…. Am I allowed to want that? To be who I used to be?”

“You’re allowed to want that. People reminisce all the time, and tend to glorify previous versions of themselves. Were you happier before you were married?”

“... …. … No. I think I used to feel…. There was a lot of emptiness in my life. Like i was waiting for something to fill the spaces… like I’d go and save people… was I ever going to be saved? Is there anyone who was waiting for me? … I think I hated being that way… always doubting… scared… lost… restless…  _ empty.”  _

The seat across from him was empty, Jasper was swamped at the bakery, even with all hands on deck. His dad wasn’t responding to his texts.  _ Waiting at the table, won’t order without you… does beer sound good? I got wine instead. Reviews said the beer sucked…  _

It was 4 pm when he left therapy, it was 4.30 when he got to the triumph, it was 5 when he secured his table for their reservation. 5.30. 6. 6.45, and he hasn’t ordered and the waitress seems restless, as she comes over again. He checks his phone, didn’t he say he was coming? He swore they agreed for 5. He hung up the phone and he had made the reservation. Wasn’t he coming? 

_ Father… distance… empty.  _ The chair across from him was empty and he feels out the words, what did he feel about it? Tapping his glass on the table, he thinks he hates it, he thinks he hates him, he thinks he doesn’t want to see him again.  _ Father… distance… dinner at 5… dinner at 6… 6.45… empty, empty empty. Where was he? Was he okay?  _ He hates him. He hates him so much he hurts. He never fills the glass, that’s destructive behavior, or it felt like it could be. Drinking when alone, not even socializing. Stood up. Then he’d have to pay for his bitterness. Literally. Hates him. 

He leaves a tip on the table with a napkin signed  _ sorry for wasting your time.  _ He gets up, and he goes. He didn’t open the wine, he didn’t order anything. He leaves it all there.  _ Empty. Vide. Vacio. Kong De. how does the word feel?  _ **_Heavy._ ** _ Like it could kill me.  _

He was in a haze, like he couldn’t break out, the whole ride home. He felt like Therapy helped, and then his dad left him again.  _ Empty… Vide… Vacio… Kong De… Empty.  _ He ran the words in circles, feeling them over in his mind, he wanted to say them out loud but didn’t. “Thanks,” he says to the driver when they pull up to the Hudson Yards. He dolls out another twenty dollar tip, and he gets out of the car. He steps onto the blank concrete and he keeps thinking it over.  _ Empty… Vide… Vacio… Kong De… Empty.  _

“You’re  _ finally  _ home,” he hears, looking up, the fog lifting from in front of him. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks, looking to Lauren and Collin. 

“Well you called out,” Lauren says like it’s obvious. “So we came to check on you, duh.”

“Yeah but I’m your professor and this is my  _ house. _ ”

“We’ve been here before,” Collin points out.

“Yeah but she had an emotional crisis, and you were practically asleep in my husbands bakery.”

“And you were fine yesterday, but then just didn’t show up because you were suddenly very ill. Fess up, prof.”

“I’m just… dealing with a lot in my life, but I’m… going to be okay.”

“That’s it?” 

“I don’t know.”

“Weren’t you supposed to go to dinner with your dad?” Lauren asks.

“He flaked.”

“You know what you need?” collin asks. 

Lauren takes her bag out and shows him a flyer to a place nearby for their flavor of the month. “Coffee ice cream.”

“I have this amazing Coffee chip ice cream upstairs, it kind of has this like… coconut taste. Better than any place that has to advertise their flavors with flyers. Trust me, this is just a gimmick to get kids like you into places like theirs, then you’ll be disappointed.”

“See? We’re on our way to feeling better. Plus you guys are rich, so I can make us the ultimate sundaes.”

Mac laughs, ushering them to the elevator, he stops by to say hi to David the desk clerk. “Did you get our dessert from the other night?”

“Yeah, those two have wormed their way in and waited here all night.”

“Sorry,” he says, looking to them. “Just be happy it was them and not more annoying students. They’re… they’re good kids,” Mac says. David laughs, offering him a hershey chocolate, he started keeping the little morsels there for Mac when he learned of Jaspers new ‘diet’. He unwraps it and he meets the two at the elevator as the door opens. 

They step into the elevator, Mac pressing his floor number. They’re silent for a few floors before Collin speaks up. 

“My dad was supposed to come in last weekend, he didn’t.” 

“Oh… you never mentioned that.”

“Well… I don’t know, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. He said there was a business thing, but… probably just found an excuse to be busy. An affair that was more important than me or whatever.”

“Affair like…?”

“Oh him and my mom haven’t slept together since they had my younger sister, I’m pretty sure. They’ve been seeing other people my whole life. But you know what they say, sooner a mistress than an alimony.”

“No, I’ve never heard that.”

“My dad makes that joke all the time.”

Mac nods, rubbing his shoulder. “Well, I’m kinda glad I don’t know my dad like that now. I mean… I don’t really  _ know  _ him. We rekindled recently, he left when I was 10, then I left my last job because he’d… I know it sounds crazy but he just… he had a lot of control in my life that I didn’t know he had. Like he was this man behind the mirror. I just thought things were different. We could be better. But he didn’t show up. So…”

Mac shrugs but Collin nods as if he nods. “If it makes you feel better, you’re a better dad than my dad.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. My dad would probably never let me into his apartment, let alone let me eat ice cream.”

Mac laughs. “Okay, but tonight is  _ cheesecake  _ night, in which he always gets me cheesecake from Anne’s and the leftover cheesecake becomes Saturday pancakes. So we are not going to tell my very beautiful, lovely, darling husband that I had ice cream because then I will feel  _ very  _ guilty about eating cheesecake. Dream cheesecake becomes all breakfast.”

“That’s very tragic for you,” Lauren says. “Must really suck to live like that.”

“It does. I’m an adult. I should be  _ allowed  _ to eat dessert until I’m sick.”

“That’s why you need your husband,” Collin says, Lauren nodding, pointing to Collin. 

“Don’t agree with him,” Mac says as if offended. “You’re on my side.”

“Yeah but you’d literally be the unhealthiest person in the world if you lived like that,” Lauren says.

“That’s why I wake up to do cardio every day. Just nullifies that uh… you know, unhealthy eating.”

“No it doesn’t.”

“Sure it does.”

“Not really.”

“Okay maybe not, but every now and again… it’s like okay. Don’t you agree?”

They reach the floor and the conversation ends as they cross into the hallway, going right for the door down the hall. Mac walks into his pent house after unlocking the door. Cadmium isn’t home, she’s at the bakery with the rest. The house is dark, quiet, empty. 

He opens up the lights, adjusts the heat, and the kids go off into the living room. Shedding coats, going to toss shoes by the door. “Come on, I’m going to make sundaes.”

“You just want me to trust you to handle my kitchen?” 

“Yes.”

Mac sighs, rubbing his temple a moment. He could shower, he could take a bath. He could just leave them for a while. 30… 45 minutes... He grabs a reusable water bottle, fills it, and screws the top on. “Okay… well you two get comfortable. I could really use a shower,” he says. “The blankets are in the closet just outside the kitchen. You can explore any room, Jasper does have a cat, she just doesn’t make many appearances, so don’t be alarmed if she  _ does.  _ Uhhh don’t burn anything, if you use the consoles or the TV, don’t do anything inappropriate. No sex, no parties, no… inviting people over. Do  _ not  _ leave. And- don’t touch the wine cabinet.”

“We promise. The vodka though,” Collin jokes and Mac gives him a semi stern look. Collin pretends to feel threatened. “Kidding!”

“And my final rule is I get the most ice cream.”

“Done deal,” Lauren says, already scouring his fridge. She takes out a tupperwear with last nights dinner and puts it in the microwave. Mac smiles, kissing her head, then Collins too. “Have fun shower- but not too much fun!”

“I’ll try my best,” he teases. He goes upstairs with his water and takes an anxiety pill like his therapist recommended he do when he got home. Then he works on filling his bath halfway, adds green tea to the bath like Jasper would do. He sets a timer for 40 minutes, then steps into the bath. He holds his phone over the caddy, staring at the screen. No texts from his dad, but there was one from Jack, another from Jasper. 

_ Hey lovely, hope your dinner is okay.  _

_ Where you at hoss? Just saw your location on Google Maps, not at the restaurant? _

Mac goes to text them both back.  _ Dad flaked, w/ lauren and collin, left them to make sundaes and eat dinner while I take a bath.  _

They both text back an urgent  _ what?  _

Mac doesn’t respond, just relaxes into his bath and clears his mind.  _ Love, what do you think of that word? What’s love? What’s trust? What does it mean to be empty? Is your life empty, Angus?  _ He opens his eyes, a picture of Jasper in clinging white Calvin Klein briefs on their bed was hanging on the wall. The one next to it was them kissing in a booth in the bakery, Mac only half sober. He smiles slightly. He can hear music pulsing the walls of the house, coming from the 2 kids downstairs. His phone lights up with texts from Riley and Jack.  _ are you okay? Are you okay? Peritame Ayuadarte. Let me help you.  _

_ Full. Ileno. Plein. Chongfen.  _ Sometimes things were missing, that doesn’t mean that he was empty, or that he was undone, or that he was empty. He slides into the water, until its brushing against the hair on the nape of his neck.  _ Full. Ileno. Plein. Chongfen. Full. Ileno. Plein. Chongfen.  _ His eyes shut as he lets his chest feel  _ full, ileno, plein, chongfen.  _ Like everything welled inside of him released. He wasn’t  _ empty.  _ And life wasn’t awful, it was normal. Normal life was… bumpy. Thats another word.  _ Bumpy. Con Baches. Cahoteux. Dianbo De.  _ Life was allowed to be bumpy. 

He takes a deep breath as his eyes flutter open at the blaring at the alarm. Had he fallen asleep? He was so relaxed, surrounded by warm water… well it was reasonably colder now. His skin was scented, his body relaxed. He didn’t want to get up, even if he was wrinkly. 

He pushes himself up, goes to change into pajamas. He picks up Jaspers most recently used sweatshirt. He sniffs it, making sure it wasn’t a workout sweater that should’ve ended up in the wash. It smells sweet with his cologne, like it was left there just in case Mac wanted to wear it. He slips it on over an old henley, then goes and grabs a pair of joggers. He wears his most comfortable socks and goes downstairs. He sniffs, he definitely smelled smething that wasn’t leftovers  _ or  _ ice cream. 

“Did you order dinner?” he calls, rounding into the kitchen, startling at the sight of a set up table. 

“Ta da! We made dinner!” Lauren cheers, her arms stretched out, smiling brightly. He laughs, going and hugging her, resting his head in her shoulder. 

“Thank you,” he says quietly, tears threatening the corner of his eyes. “It smells amazing,” he says, gently pressing his knuckle to the corner.  _ Full, full, full.  _ It rings in him like a mantra, his life filled in every language he knew. Normal life was normal, normal life was messy, it felt equally catastrophic, if not more, because  _ loss is personal, and our own worlds ending is worse than the whole world ending. There’s solace in losing everything together. None in losing alone.  _

“Are you okay?” Collin asks.

“Yeah… I just… I forget how much the people around me love me. It’s been a really hard week,” he admits. 

“We can help you grade midterms,” Lauren says.

“And do the study group,” Collin chips in. 

“I can totally teach class.”

“No you can’t, Laury,” Mac says, looking over the table. There was mac and cheese and something that looked like a toasted baguette smeared in… “is that pesto gouda?”

“Uhh maybe, were we not supposed to touch that?”

“No, Jessie said-” he gasps. “The  _ liar. _ ”

The two giggle. “Divorce,” Lauren says. 

“Throw him out,” Collin agrees. 

“On the couch for a week!”

“Oh worse, we just hide it and he freaks out and is forced to ask about it, or even better, buy more.”

They find themselves giggling once again. Mac lets them take dinner by the TV, making them eat on the coffee table like they were little kids. He pours them all juice and sits on the couch Riley normally sits on, behind the two. 

“Tangled!” Lauren says before Collin could pick. “Oh please, you would say Die Hard again.”

“I  _ love  _ Die Hard,” Mac says. 

“Not you too.”

“We should watch tangled for her,” Collin says. 

“Okay, okay,” he agrees, putting tangled on. They watch Tangled and get halfway through die hard when the lights in the hallway turn on, Cadmium yipping and running into the living room. Mac gets up, gasping, kneeling as he lets Cadmium stand on his lap and yip happily. Jasper, Jack, Riley, and Mel walk in. Jasper doesn’t even take off his coat as he makes his way over to Mac. 

“Are you okay? Did you eat? Did you-”

“I’m okay,” Mac quiets. “Lauren and Collin made an  _ amazing  _ Mac and Cheese- and you wouldn’t believe what they found in the fridge?”

“What’s that?”

“Pesto Gouda.”

“Is that Die Hard I hear?” Jack calls, walking in and lifting Mac off his feet, squeezing him. Mac yelps in surprise. 

“You’re… crushing… me,” he pretends before wilting dramatically. Jack laughs, putting him down. “Yeah, yeah, just crush my ribs next time.” 

“You want me to go down there and beat his ass for you? I’ll give him a good shiner to show around head quarters. HQ will go wild, and what are they gonna do?”

“Shh,” Jasper says, eyeing Jack. 

“I didn’t say nothin,” he whispers. 

“About what?” Collin ventures and Mac waves his hand. 

“You two said you were making me feel better sundaes. I haven’t had one yet.”

“What about your cheesecake?” Lauren asks.

“Yeah, where is my cheesecake?”

Jasper gasps. “Oh  _ no. _ I didn’t stop to breathe today, I  _ swear  _ I forgot and- I didn’t even get to your cookies.” Jasper looks disappointed in himself, Mac leaning over and kissing him gently. 

“I forgive you. That just means we’re going to Maison Pickle for brunch, right?”

“It’s worth my consideration,” he promises, kissing Mac soundly. 

“You two already forget there’s two children here watching you act all mushy?” Jack asks, breaking them apart. Jasper rolls his eyes. Riley comes in, holding a bowl of mac and cheese. 

“I heard we’re beating up your dad,” she says. 

“Nobody is beating up anybody. I’m… happy with what I have in my life. I’m choosing not to be upset over it.”

Jasper nods. “That’s an answer to go with.”

“Yeah it is, and nobody is beating up my dad.”

“Shhh this is my favorite part,” Jack says, getting cozy on the couch. “Stayin here tonight.”

Mel walks in laughing. “Where you staying then? All the beds and couches are accounted for.”

“Don’t worry about it, this is my favorite part.” 

They all laugh, Jasper tugging his hand. “Viens en haut.” 

Mac follows him upstairs, slipping away from their friends as they find their way to their bedroom, the two doors sliding open with a push from macs arms. Jasper slips in and the locks slip shut behind him as he leans against the grand wood with his back pressed to the center between the two knobs. 

“I am sorry I forgot about the cheesecake. I know you look forward to that strawberry cheesecake and you had such an  _ awful  _ day-”

“It wasn’t awful.”

“You’re just saying that because-”

“Because I mean it. I got to come home to people I love, and a husband who had a very successful day, it looks like.”

“You’d literally think I’m a liar if I told you how crazy the bakery was. The instagram ad did  _ wonders.  _ People were waiting in line for hours to get a batch, and we were just baking them as we went,” Jasper tells, Mac laughing as he watches glistening rings move in the air. He finally sheds his coat, the bronze glinting in the light. “And oh my god, every batch I think I can’t make another but then I do.” 

“A superhero,” Mac says. 

“We have so many orders for Thanksgiving.”

Mac smiles, Jasper sauntering forward. “Jasper.”

“Mac.”

“Jasper. Jasperjasperjasper.”

“Macmacmac mac mac.” 

“I looked up your name today.”

“Yeah?”

“ _ Supreme Nurturer. Grounding and stable, provider of comfort, security, strength and healing.  _ That’s what it means, did you know that?”

“I did… when I ran away from home, I kept thinking my family would find me, my name would be registered somewhere and they’d find it. I was walking in a flee market and a woman was selling stones- the way flee markets are. It was Seacaucus, New Jersey. I was making my way up, didn’t know where I’d end up back then. There in the set of stones was  _ red Jasper  _ and she gave it to me after an hour or so of talking. She gave me a lot that day, more kindness than I’d received in my life… I remember feeling like I’d found  _ it _ . She finally went  _ whats your name?  _ And I told her,  _ Jasper _ . That’s who I was… I thought maybe it’d be good luck…  _ mon destin. _ ”

“You were right. You’re luck only gets better… and its all you deserve… everything in this world. Everything after it.”

“Do you agree with that definition, Angel?”

“Yes. Also,  _ Angus,  _ and it means  _ choice. _ ”

“Were you looking through a name dictionary today?”

“My therapist and I played this game. She’d say a word and I would tell her what it meant to me.”

“Hm… do you wanna play with me?” Jasper asks. 

“Maybe,” Mac says, tracing patterns on Jaspers chest, he looks up meeting his eyes. “The kids are downstairs… and everyone else we know.”

Jasper kisses him and before Mac can part, he pulls him closer for another kiss. “I think I wanna play,” he says softly, Mac melting into a smile, his lips pursing a bit. 

“Oh? Then give me a word.”

“ _ Love. _ ”

“Belongs to you.”

Jasper laughs husky, Macs body swimming with warmth. It was warmer than his bath earlier, warmer than a September evening. “ _ You.”  _

“Only belongs with me.”

“ _ Destin. _ ”

“Destiny…”

“Define it.”

“The divine intervention that says you’ll always end up with me.”

“ _ Baiser. _ ”

“Moi.” 

Jasper kisses him, Macs hands running up his chest, into his hair, caressing his neck. Jasper bends him into a dip, Mac moaning softly against his mouth. There’s a knock on their door. Mac pouts. “To be continued?” Jasper offers.

“And to think I really liked where this was going.”

He laughs, kissing him once more. 

“What are you  _ doing  _ in there?” Riley calls. 

“I’m just changing,” Jasper calls.

“And you need Mac to do that?”

“It’s none of your business what I need him to do.”

Mac watches him with a sort of pursed lip smile, undoing his shirt as Jasper lifts them into a standing position, his body arching against Jaspers.. “Oh no,” he whispers, another button popping open. “Your clothes are coming off.”

“Define  _ sex. _ ”

“That rihanna song. The one with sex and how amazing sex with her is? Except we both know I’m better.”

“Do you think sex with me is amazing?” Jasper whispers. 

Mac laughs, Riley knocking again. “I was sent up here to say-”

“Riley  _ ten  _ minutes,” Mac says. “We’ll be down in  _ ten  _ minutes.” 

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it.”

She leaves the door after a moment, they can hear her saying something to Jack about them needing ‘ten minutes’, Jasper dipping him in a kiss. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he whispers.

“Yes, now take your clothes off before I lose my whole mind.” 

\- Thanksgiving Eve -

“Charlie and his… did we invite Charlie and his wife?”

“Yeah,” Mac says, looking up from the cornucopia he was setting up on the coffee table. “Uh… I told you that right? When he came by a few weeks ago, and I uh… well I  _ invited him  _ and then forgottotellyouaboutthat and well… you remember, right?”

“Hm repeat that part about forgot to tell me.”

“I said that?”

“You said that.”

“Jasper?” Riley calls. 

“Riley, it looks  _ fine. _ ”

“Very big of you to let her do the turkey and the cookies.”

“Thanksgiving and Duck don’t mix, and since you apparently think-”

“I don’t think it’s bad! I just-”

“I know,” Jasper says, the sun swimming beneath the clouds already. Mel walks downstairs, hand on her growing Belly. 

“Mac, you outdid yourself,” she says. “The table turkeys with the name plaques?”

“Winner, right?” he says. 

She nods. “Lights are a nice touch. Love the cornucopia.”

“The new throws are also a nice touch. Did you see the back table?”

“I see it now,” she says. “You two are already the best Thanksgiving hosts. Also Julius just landed! He’ll be in within another 2 hours.”

Jasper beams, Mac looking to his lover and smiling. “Party is starting,” Jasper says. “I can’t wait for you guys to see our outfits. They’re damn cute if I do say so myself.” 

“You would say because you picked them,” Mac points out. “Okay, so we just have to set up the…” Mac trails off, looking for the turkey pinwheel straws he made. Jasper watches him, Mel sitting on the couch, hand on her tummy. 

“Did you say there was a yoga class downstairs?”

“Yeah at 4, it’s… 2.30.”

“And you’re home so early,” Jasper teases, leaning on one of the dining room chairs. 

“You’re smudging the wood,” Mac says, going to the closet in the corner of the dining room and pulling out another box. Jasper watches him, Mac coming back with his straws. “What? I  _ just  _ wiped down the chairs.”

“Yeah, and I wipe them down  _ every other day _ , mister. Stop being a bossy pants.”

“I’m not being a bossy pants.”

“You  _ are.  _ You’re being a bossy pants and you’re not being nice about it.”

“You two become 6 and sittin on a playground?” Mel asks, turning around. “Cuz that’s what you sound like.”

“Isn’t he being bossy?”

“Maybe he wants to be a top.”

Jasper scoffs. “Sure.”

Riley walks in, hands covered in die and cookie dough. “I don’t know if I’m doing this right.”

“I left you instructions.”

“But-”

“Riley, honey, the point of  _ you  _ doing one dessert is that Jasper doesn’t have to be stressed about it,” Mac says, kissing Jaspers shoulder. “He’s sick of making cookies, and all of  _ his  _ desserts are done. Now… go do your dessert. Messed up or not, just pretend we don’t live here. What ends up on that table because of you? We don’t wanna know about it until tomorrow.”

“What, how does that make any sense-”

“It just does. Go.”

“No it doesn’t. You wanted-”

“Okay, and when your cookies come out a little misshapen I will still proudly present them as  _ yours. _ ”

“Oh I see, so the mistake cookies are mine, but the perfect ones are yours.”

“No they’re my husbands. Who, just like my sister, are going to do everything in their power to make me look as good as possible.”

“I never thought I’d see the day where he cared so much about appearances,” Jasper says, nudging him. “Relax bossy pants. Come on, let me draw you a bath. That always helps.”

“We don’t have  _ time  _ for-”

Jasper quiets him by placing a peck on his lips with a turkey napkin before setting it on the plate it belongs on. Mac seems perplexed, and then is fixed with a kiss from his husband. “Relax, we know these people and we love these people, and you’re going to have a wonderful time. Everything looks great, and you desperately need to untense.”

Mac sighs, letting Jasper take him into his arms. Jasper looks unto him with love and affection, sincere adoration, kisses him on the head. “I’ll go draw you a bath,” he says without thinking. And Mac is left there by the dining table as his husband walks upstairs, his cat following him all the way up. 

Jack walks in, carrying the drinks, cheese, and chips Jasper had sent him out for. “Mac? I got the stuff.”

“I’ll be right there,” Mac says, leaving his straws behind and going to help Jack in with the items. He grabs the box of beers and takes them to the kitchen. “Was it awful?”

“Awful doesn’t begin to define what that was. It was beyond awful. And it’s like, I wanna  _ say  _ that everyone should have their shit together, but here I was, buying cheese and wine and beer too, just like everyone else.”

“And the soda?”

“Yeah, got a few bottles of that fancy italian stuff Jasper likes.”

“Perfect,” Mac says. 

“You’re uh… your dad call?”

Mac shrugs. “Sure, he’s called and texted and said a whole lot of things. Just haven’t called back.”

Jack nods. “Are you going to Berlin?”

“Probably.”

“What are you going to say?”

“I’m not really sure. I just know, if he dies I want to have been there for him, at least through treatment. Then I can’t say I was a complete shit son.”

“You’re not a shit son.”

“Yeah well… Maybe.”

“Yeah well, you’re not. Listen, tomorrow we’re going to have everyone we know and then some over-”

“What ever happened to that new agent, the one who was your friend?”

“Oh, I don’t think she’s coming.”

“I never did get to meet her at our halloween party.”

“You’ll meet her at Christmas probably, since Bozer is hosting.”

Mac nods, Jack sighing, walking into the kitchen where Riley was. Mac sneaks a peak at her cookies and fawns. “They’re so cute.”

“They’re  _ ugly. _ ”

“You’re ugly,” he teases. “Seriously, they’re adorable. I love them.”

“Chance is coming over to help with the Turkey tonight.”

“That’s fine. Just cook it right tomorrow, please. I don’t think I can handle a last minute bird situation.”

“You’re being very anal about this whole thing,” She says. “Relax, it’ll be fine.”

“We’re having a whole bunch of people over, all of which  _ I  _ invited. I just want my party to be the best it can be.”

“The Turkey will be fine, and tomorrow you’ll be so wine drunk you won’t even know if it’s not a good turkey. Everyone will just think its the best turkey ever because-”

“Because you’re using Bozers recipe, and Bozer is going to be here tomorrow to help you. So it’s going to be the perfect Turkey.”

“Right,” Jack says. “And you’re going to relax a little, because I think you’re getting on Jaspers nerves, and that just don’t ever happen.”

Mel comes into the kitchen, looking at the cookies. She’d done more than her fair share of work, regardless of Mac and Jaspers protests. She’d practically made all the Thanksgiving orders, and she’d managed the bakery without protest. Jasper was only one person, could only handle so much on his own. She’d been a tremendous help, and since the two got home around 12, an hour before Mac got home, she’s been banned from work.

“We’re okay,” he says before she can ask. “Can you  _ please  _ rest?”

“What do you know about pregnancy?”

“That I don’t want you going into premature labor induced by too much baking. Now  _ please  _ sit down.”

Mel ruffles his hairs, up on her tip toes to do so. “You’re so lucky Julius is worse than you about this, or else you’d really be in trouble, Angus.” 

Mac smiles. “Maybe you should take up that bath for me.”

“I have a feeling you’re not taking a bath,” Riley says.

“Just because  _ you’re  _ not getting laid, Riley, doesn’t mean that I should have to be abstinent too. This isn’t a mutual support ordeal. One sibling doesn’t get laid, doesn’t mean the rest of don’t as a show of faith.”

“Yes, that is exactly how it works.”

“Also-”

“No don’t finish that. Don’t even start that,” Jack says. “I don’t need to know what you two are doing in bed.”

“Well, Riley has nothing to tell, so there’s nothing to know.”

Riley takes a cookie and smushes it in his face. “Shut  _ up.  _ Mel and I have a sexual healing session, okay?”

“What does that even mean?” Jack asks. 

“We’re going to realign her chakras and energy with yoga and crystals. I did some research about it online,” Mel informs. 

Jasper comes downstairs, wrapping an arm around Mac. “Do you want your bath to get cold?”

“No,” mac says. 

“Then lets go. Come on, I totally planned on giving you a facial.”

“Gross!” Riley says.

“What? What’s gross about washing your face?”

“She thinks we’re,” Mac starts, taking the smushed cookie off his face still, “going to have sex.”

“Oh, we had sex last night while you were out.”

Mac scoffs, turning on his heels and going upstairs. “What? We  _ did.  _ He certainly got a different type of facial.”

“I hate you both,” Jack decides, Mel laughing. 

“You could’ve omitted that,” Mel offers.

“Sure, but Riley would  _ not  _ have omitted it, so fair is fair after all.”

“She’s not having sex,” Jack sides. 

“Why are we all harping on how much sex I’m not having?”

“There’s no shame in it,” Jasper offers. “It’s very empowering to just not have sex. People totally go crazy about that. Write a popsugar article, it’ll  _ really  _ get readers riled up, pun fully intended. They’ll be like ‘wow she’s so empowered’ or something. ‘You are SO strong for going through that’ and you’ll just feel really good about that.”

Riley shakes her head. “Go follow Mac before he yells at you too.”

“He didn’t yell at you,” Jack points out. 

“He’s been very snippy.”

“He’s just stressed, he doesn’t host often,” Jasper defends. “My poor baby is going through a lot right now.”

“By hosting a party?”

“Yes. Leave him alone.”

Riley breaks into a smile, even if she’s shaking her head. She puts her cookies into the oven, Jasper following Mac upstairs. He finds Mac half dressed, checking his phone. Jasper wraps his arms around him. 

“Did you see this picture of Jeremy and his boyfriend?”

“No, was I supposed to?”

“It’s on instagram.”

“Oh sure, because you’re the biggest instagram user.”

“We have to make the thank you post on your instagram.”

Jasper nods. “I got a lot of pictures, actually. I’ll put something together. Now come on, get in the bath so I can give you a very nice, relaxing facial.”

Mac complies, sinking into the bath. His body relaxes, head tipped back over the edge so Jasper doesn’t have to sit in any weird position. Jasper grabs some of his facial materials. He drops a hair band onto his face. “You need a haircut.”

“Yeah probably,” Mac agrees, pulling his hair back with the sparkly purple headband. It was Jaspers, but Mac didn’t mind so much. Jasper starts off with toner, moves into washing his face, applying different face masks to different areas. 

“My beautiful husband is going to look so good for his fabulous party tomorrow. And everyone is going to have the best time,” he sing songs to himself, and Macs smiles as best as he can with the hardening face masks. 

“It could go wrong.”

“It won’t,” Jasper says. “I have a good feeling about it,” he says. “We’re going to the mall by Penn Station, Mel, Kaori, Julius and I on black friday.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Kaori was telling me all about face rollers and the crystals. I really think we could use an amethyst one.”

“Because you like purple?”

“Because they help you sleep.”

“Wha-”

“Shh, don’t argue with me, you’re relaxing.”

“Okay, so… you’re getting a face roller… to help you sleep?”

“Well, you’re the one who doesn’t sleep normally most of the time. You get like two percent stressed and pull an all nighter about it.” 

“I slept last night.”

“I found you in the kitchen counting the new silverware we bought at 2 AM and had to force you back into bed.” 

“I was just  _ checking  _ that we had enough. We weren’t going to get more on Thanksgiving day.”

“And I know you didn’t sleep any after that, even if I held you down.”

“I did.”

“Oh so when I woke up at 6, what were you doing again?”

“I was…  _ not  _ checking the lists of stuff that I had to do.”

Jasper nods, hands massaging his shoulders gently, rubbing up his neck, mac sinking in a little further, tension releasing from his body visibly. Jasper smiles, working away his tension. “Sure you weren’t.”

“I wasn’t,” Mac defends lamely. “I just, you know, I think this is a good success for me to have.”

“I agree.”

“And I really want it to just be fun.”

“I know.”

“And I also really want you to make a trial run of those stuffed mushrooms tonight.”

“False, we’re ordering pizza. You like pizza.”

“I’m a changed man. I get facials done by my husband, and I don’t eat hershey’s chocolates.”

“I know david is giving you chocolates liar.”

“Not true!”

Jasper pinches his underarm gently and Mac giggles. “Fess up.”

“I refuse.”

“Whole foods pizza?”

“The pesto chicken one.”

“Perfect.”

“We eat on the floor, vacuuming is easy.”

Jasper shakes his head, leaning over to kiss Mac square on the lips, careful not to smudge his facemask. Mac smiles. “I am going to host a good party, aren’t I?” he says more confidently. 

“The best one,” Jasper assures, smiling. “There’s never going to be a better thanksgiving than yours.”

Jasper comes downstairs and is rounding to the kitchen when he sees Julius walk in. It’s like he’s a kid again, his whole body denying any sense of decency as he runs over and jumps into his arms. Julius laughs. “Hola mijo. ¿me extrañaste?” 

“So, so, so, soooo much,” Jasper says, Julius managing to drop his bag and wrap his arms around Jasper. His scarf clung like static to Jaspers thighs, hugs him tight, teetering a bit. He makes a bit of a noise. “I think you’re getting too heavy for this. Either that or I don’t work out like I used to.” 

“I think you’re just old now.” 

“Where’s Mac?” Mel asks. 

“I put him down for a nap,” Jasper says, letting Julius go. Mel gets a hello kiss from her husband. Julius laughs as he processes what Jasper said. 

“Is he a child?”

“When he’s stressed he doesn’t sleep so in order to get him to sleep, I gave him a nice facial and a massage in a hot bath, you know all the components to relaxing. Then I wrapped him up in a warm sweater, and lay in bed for like ten minutes because I was  _ so tired _ and just needed to be held. And boom, he was out like a light.” 

Julius laughs again. “Amazing, truly.” Jack and Riley come over to say hi, hugs and kisses are exchanged. He promises to catch up once he’s showered and settled. 

“Why don’t you come set up upstairs, love,” Mel says, leading him upstairs. Jasper helps him bring up his bags. They’re as quiet as they can be with Mac sleeping across the hall. Even if the doors are closed, Jasper makes an effort to leave him as unbothered as possible. He makes sure Julius is okay with Mel setting up, and goes downstairs to leave them alone. He goes to see that Chance has just walked in and him and Riley are talking in the hallway. Jasper smiles, going to see Jack in the kitchen, watching the cookies.

“So… what happened to that girlfriend of yours?”

“Things just weren’t really working out.”

Jasper nods. He sits on the floor, Jack joining him. “Huh… seems to happen a lot, don’t you think?”

“Yeah well, not a settled down kind of guy. How’s Mac doing?” 

“Fast asleep,” Jasper says. “I know he just wants it all to be perfect. He’s doing a great job, he’s just so hard on himself.”

“Yeah, he’s always been like that.” Jack looks at his phone, their groupchat lighting up with messages.  _ Just flew in.  _ “Bozer and Leanna are coming in now.”

“What about Matty?”

“She’ll be here by tomorrow probably.” 

Jasper nods, and they sit in quiet as they wait for the cookies to finish. Riley and Chance walk in, looking over the Turkey recipe. Jasper stills feels a quiet betrayal about the Turkey, but he knows Mac was right. He was an awful Turkey-cooker, he couldn’t do it to save his life. 

“How do you  _ spatchcock  _ something?”

“You… like crack it open. Like easter eggs.”

“What?”

Jasper shuts his eyes, Jack trying not to laugh at his expression. “I’m not gonna say anything,” he whispers and Jack nods.

“Probably for the better, let her figure it out.”

Mac rolls over in bed. He’d fallen asleep around 3.30, there was still some sun peaking through the clouds. But it’s pitch black, and not because the shades are drawn. It was dark outside. That meant it was after 4.30. He sits up slowly, looking around the room. Where was Jasper? He reaches for his phone, the screen reading  _ 6.13 PM  _ and Mac is sure he’s going to die. He flops back into the pillows for a moment, sighing. 

He never thought he’d have to murder his husband, but life was really unexpected like that.

Mac gets up again, turning the lamp on. He gets up, and goes to put on a decent outfit. His light washed jeans, and a plaid shirt. Jasper will say it is completely typical of him. Mac doesn’t care, spritzing himself with cologne. He fixes his hair, and he notes that he’s sparkling a little bit. Jasper had lathered his face with a new creme he had, something about pearl dust being in it, and he likes how his skin looks glassy and clear the way it does right then and there. 

He goes downstairs, and Bozer and Leanna look up, cheering when they see Mac come down the stairs. He smiles. “You made it!”

“Hey sleeping beauty,” Bozer says, standing up and going to hug him. Mac hugs back, patting his back. 

“I didn’t sleep last night… I certainly didn’t plan on sleeping until  _ to- _ night. But my husband is an awful, bad man who tricked me.”

Bozer laughs. “Something about a warm bath and a facial…?”

“Got me into a warm sweatshirt and then tucked me into bed pretending he wanted a nap.” 

“I admire his abilities. I tried to pin your crazy habits down our whole lives.”

“I don’t have crazy habits.”

“Let me play a guessing game as to why you didn’t sleep last night.”

“I just couldn’t get comfortable.” 

“You were nervous because you’re throwing the party, and so you had a lot on your mind. And you were up all night studying your lists and trying to get things done.”

Mac feels exposed, squinting at Bozer, pursing his lips. “Mmmm…. Noooo?”

“Yeah…”

“And next you’re going to say that Jasper told you about the silverware incident,” Mac says, Leanna coming up to say hi to him, Mac pulling her into his side as a hug and kissing her cheek. 

“No, but now you have to tell us,” Leanna says, holding a mug to her chest.

He rolls his eyes. “Had to open my big mouth.”

“What did you do?” Leanna asks, smiling and he smiles too. 

“I may have… kind of maybe… woke up very worried around 2 AM thinking we didn’t buy enough new silverware for the party-”

“We get new silverware? Awh, Bozer he got new silverware for us.”

“Don’t get too excited, Charlie is on the guest list.” 

She laughs. Mac nods. “Carlos might come in too, and obviously Jaspers family is here… or Julius is here.”

“Hi Mac,” Julius says sweetly. 

“Hi Jules.”

“Kaori is on her way in,” Riley promises. “She got held up at Zeus with something.” She comes in holding a mozzarella stick. 

“Where is my husband by the way?”

“Him, Chance and Jack are getting Pizza.”

“Oh I see.”

“He’s in trouble,” Bozer informs.

“Yeah we’re all in trouble. He’s very stressed,” Riley tells Bozer. Bozer nods. 

“The facial didn’t help?”

“Oh it helped, the pearl dust in his new creme is really making me glimmer. Don’t you think?” Mac asks. Bozer and Leanna squint at his face before nodding. 

“Sexy of you. Maybe we should get one for when Bozer and I do facials.”

“Pizza’s here!” Jasper calls, opening the door. Cadmium walks in on her leash, tugging Jack forward. She spots Mac instantly, Mac picking up his puppy with joy. Cadmium is happier in his arms, he puts her down and leads her to the closet, undoing her leash. Jasper puts the pizza down on the kitchen table, going over to Mac who stands up and fixes him with a stare. 

“Death, slow and painful, Sheriff.”

“Macgyver-Sheriff to you, mister.”

“Don’t be coy,” Mac says but he smiles anyways. Jasper moves his hair from his eyes and kisses his forehead. Mac leans down to undress Cadmium. “Did you have fun at the whole foods with Jasper?” he coos at his puppy, watching her yip with glee for him. He smiles. 

“So if Carlos is coming,” Bozer says, walking over. “How come he doesn’t have a place at the table?”

“Carlos is coming?” Jasper asks and Mac shakes his head. 

“I don’t  _ think  _ he’s coming. Just… I invited him, and he called a couple days ago, if I was still throwing a party for Thanksgiving. And I said yes. I asked why but he wouldn’t say. Just that he wanted to send something over.”

“Maybe it’s his kid, sick of her.”

Mac laughs. “They have a 2 year old now, too,” He says, Jasper nodding. 

“When’s the last time you saw him?” Bozer asks. “Did he come to your wedding?”

“I uh… yeah, he was there… he came alone without his wife. The baby was new then.” 

Bozer nods, and looks to Jasper who seems more phased with what Chance was doing in the kitchen. “These plates?”

“Yeah,” Jasper confirms. 

“These are your normal plates?”

“Sure, they’re tacky.”

“They’re heavy.”

“I get all my plates special order.”

“Tell everyone to go eat,” Mac says to Jasper. Jasper nods. 

“Be patient darling.”

“Wow, who did those turkeys?” Leanna calls from the table.

“Mac did,” Mel answers. “He worked awful hard on them.”

“Mac, you did these?” Leanna yells louder, Mac managing to get Cad’s last booty off. She pads off to her own little room for a nap. Jasper smiles as Mac stands. 

“I did, do you like them?”

“You really outdid yourself,” She says as Mac walks back into the room. 

“Dinner is here, and Riley made appetizers it looks like. You should all go help yourselves.” 

“Thank you,” Riley teases. “Really needed your permission.”

“Well if you didn’t, wheres your plate?”

Jack walks in with his own plate. “Right here, want a chicken tender? They’re the whole foods kind.”

Mac gasps, taking one off Jacks plate. He dips it in the sauce from the fridge. He hums, Jasper made the best fry sauce, he kept a squirt bottle in the fridge. Jasper comes in with plates full, handing them to Julius and Mel. Bozer comes in with a plate for Leanna, one for himself. 

“I got you the pizza you like.”

“I’ll put myself,” he promises, Jack letting him eat his chicken tenders. 

“Or just eat Jacks,” Jasper said, Mac working on his one chicken tender. He nods, chewing. 

“Yeah,” Jack says. “He’s really into the one tender.”

“It’s my new husband since mine is a big ol jerk.”

“Noooo, he loves you a lot,” Jasper says. “He wanted you to rest.”

“Dead to me.”

“All I did was let you take a nap.”

“Divorcable offense I might say.”

“Doesn’t everything look perfect?”

“Well we didn’t put out the Martini glasses-”

“They’re out.”

“Or the straws-”

“In the tall glasses.”

“How about the-?”

“Done. I did it all. I went threw every list, I made all the desserts. Our alarms are all set to start the cooking marathon. All the shopping is done, all the drinks are prepared. The table is set. The lights are up. The decore is all over. It’s undeniable all over. The new throw blankets are out. The old ones were donated-”

“You went to the-”

“Goodwill. On the one on 103 and 25th. Yes. Just like you asked, just like you promised the lady at the store. And I donated all our old throws for the new ones. And I properly stashed away the Christmas throws. And Riley is going to prepare the turkey later with Bozer and Chance. All her cookies are baked. The new, fluffy towels and bathrobes are all in the bathroom. They’re cleaned and stocked and pristine. Have I missed anything Jack?”

“You forgot the part where we bought dinner.”

“Yeah! And I bought dinner. That very chicken tender? My money, sir.” 

Mac deflates. “And you didn’t let me help?”

“You needed your beauty rest so you can be the most fabulous looking host in New York City tomorrow.” 

Mac hums, nodding. “I accept. Come get dinner with me,” he says, nudging him along to the kitchen. “Oooo Riley is kissing a boyyy,” Mac draws out simply to embarass her. 

“How can you even  _ breathe? _ ” Jasper teases, the two chuckling as she parts and gives them a tired look. “What? You were like full lip lock, No air by Jordan Sparks kinda energy.”

“That song was about a break up.”

“It was about the air that wasn’t getting into your lungs just now, that’s really dangerous Riley.”

Chance looks awkward, Mac shaking his head at them as he picks his Pizza slice carefully. Jasper adds a slice of his own to Macs plate. “Chicken?” Mac asks softly. 

“Sure, and uhh I got that salad you liked.”

“Mmm I see that.”

“Am I forgiven yet?”

“Maybe,” he teases. 

“Ohhh so you two get to be gross?” Riley says. 

“He’s not suffocating me with his mouth,” Mac says, biting back a laugh as Riley smacks him with a dish towel. 

“I’m taking my cookies back.”

“ _ Dirty _ .”

She sighs, Jasper filling the plate more since Mac hasn’t eaten all day. “I can’t win,” she tells Chance.

“Sorry for kissing your sister,” he offers.

“Its not that you’re kissing her, it’s how. Get game or get out,” Jasper says. “Like me and Mac? Several viral pictures of our kissing. That’s because I have game.” 

“Jasper!” Riley cries. “He literally doesn’t mean a word he just said.”

“Or does he?” Chance asks, a coy smile coming to his face. 

“Are you two plotting against me?”

“Oh no, darling, we’re just teasing you,” Jasper says, leaning against the arm of a kitchen Chair. Mac grabs napkins and a fork. 

“What? Leave me out of your kissing shenanigans. I was just making fun of you,” Mac says. He goes to sit with the rest, Kaori coming in. 

“Hello my loves!” she calls. “Your favorite is here!” 

Jasper lifts her off the ground, spinning her as she hugs him. “My favorite in the whole world!” she cheers. “How are you?”

“Wheres your hot new chicago man?”

She gasps. “Who told you?”

“Well why else are you in Chicago all the time?”

“A very eccentric older woman who has so much  _ chi _ to teach me about.”

“Are you learning?”

“So much. More from her beautiful son, very good between the legs.”

He laughs, Kaori fixing her hair as she’s set down. “Where is that gorgeous husband of yours? I want a kiss from him.”

“You’re not over your crush on Mac? Not a good look darling.”

“It’s not my fault you married such a handsome man. Oh Maaac,” she teases, Mac laughing. He sets his plate down, goes to hug her. She fixes him with a peck on the cheek. “Hmmm he smells nice.”

“It’s SK-II,” Jasper totes. Him and Kaori had a very  _ different  _ relationship than he had with anyone else. She nods, impressed. He may have been older, but they both strove to impress each other, their love ran deeper than siblings, their understanding ran with prestige and high approval of the other. 

“Where’s my set?”

“Upstairs waiting.”

“Ugh, I have to tell you  _ all  _ about this new thing I’ve discovered. Crystal healing and- Oh! Where is Riley? I promised her we’d do a little sexual healing with the power of yoga.”

“She’s in the kitchen,” Mac says. “Kissing her boyyyfriend.”

“Unlike Kaori, who did not bring hers.”

“Oh please, I’ll bring him to Christmas. At Bozers!” she cheers, going over to hug Leanna and then Bozer. 

“You smell so good,” Leanna says.

“You like it?”

“I do.”

“I made it. I have a friend who works for Prada fragrance.”

“You  _ do _ ?”

Kaori nods. “She lets me use their lab to make my own sometimes. It’s quite the hobby. I should bring you along sometimes. It’s right in LA by you.”

Leanna’s eyes sparkle, Riley coming in with Chance. “I would love that. Riley you  _ gotta  _ hear this,” Leanna fawns. 

“Kaori, you made it!”

“As quickly as I could,” Kaori promises, standing in her perfect heels, with her perfect legs, her dress hanging down her legs, a red scar that was turned into a dragon tattoo showing. She was admirably enviable. 

“What am I hearing?” she asks. 

“Kaori has a friend at prada fragrance. She wants us to go with her.”

Riley looks between them and nods. “I didn’t know you like that sort of thing.”

“Well come on, it’s Prada Fragrance Riley.”

Mac looks to Jasper. “Step in, please,” he whispers. “Don’t let Riley be upset tonight.”

“It sounds like a helluva good time to me. But you know,” Jasper says striding forward. “Riley you should tell them all about that spa we went to together. Remember? The one with the gold facials and you got your nails done.”

“I remember,” she says, looking a tad confused. “Yeah, maybe you girls can go there this weekend.”

“Oh uh… maybe,” she agrees. “I’m gonna sit down and eat. Kaori you should get a plate.”

“There’s a salad,” Jasper promises Kaori, Kaori giving a knowing look and he follows her into the kitchen. 

“Always like a puppy on her tail,” Mel says laughing. “And to think  _ she’s  _ the baby.”

“He likes to baby her,” Julius offers. “They’re two peas in a pod.”

Riley squishes herself next to Mac with her own plate. Mac gives her his peppers from his salad, Riley taking them. “I thought you liked peppers.”

He shakes his head. “Evil,” he whispers. She laughs, everyone else caught up in conversation now, talking loud.

“Do you like her?” she whispers.

“Who?”

“Kaori,” she says quieter.

“Yeah, I think she’s nice.”

She nods. 

“Do you?”

“Sometimes.”

“She’s not trying to take Leanna from you,” he says softly. “She’s just… she’s like Jasper. She likes to do nice things, even if they’re ridiculous things that seem like they’re… outlandish or showy.”

Riley nods. “Maybe I should go home… I text her all the time, and we facetime when she’s not on ops.”

“Don’t be insecure. You’re a great friend who she’s always going to love. Being away doesn’t change the love between friends…”

“Changed it between us.”

“That was different… and nothing really changed, we just had to understand each other again.” 

She nods, Mac nudging her and offering her another pepper. She laughs. 

“Besides,” he starts but Kaori and Jasper sit on the floor in front of them. They’re gossiping like they’re at a sleepover. 

“Really? No way, see I heard he was-”

“Mm-mm, that’s all a big lie. Can you believe that? A. Total. Lie.” 

“I can’t,” Jasper says. “Well, I heard-”

“Who are we talking about?” Mac asks. Jasper whispers who to him, and Mac nods, in the loop now. “Cheater too.”

Kaori looks impressed, he winks at her and she giggles. “God, are you bored of him in bed yet?”

“What happened to Chi lady’s baby boy?”

“Oh, right…” She teases. “But yours is so nice to look at.”

“Hmm and he never gets boring. Not in bed, not during bored games, not even after he yells at me for winning mario kart. He’s great at everything.”

“If only I bit you first.”

“And yet, I still would’ve fell for him,” Mac says, hand dangling a cucumber for Jasper with his fork. Jasper takes it, half the cucumber falling into his plate. He makes a surprised noise as he loses the other half, Mac patting at his beard to get the dressing off. 

“You should shave,” Kaori says.

“Don’t you  _ dare, _ ” Mac says. “Clean ups only. The beard doesn’t go.”

“Sorry Kai,” Jasper says, kissing Macs knee. “The big man says no.”

“Endearing,” she teases. “So should I book a hotel, I never did get to ask.”

“So there’s an empty apartment down the hall, and I asked if we could use it for the weekend for some guests to stay in. Everything is totally set up. It came furnished, so I’ll give you the keys later.” 

“Ooo private room. Who else is staying there?”

“Not really sure yet,” Jasper teases. “Mac invited us, his friend Charlie and his wife, his friend Helena and her boyfriend are coming, his friend Reece might pop in. A lot of people passing by, stopping in. Matty is coming I think.”

“Bozer and Riley?”

“Oh they’re staying there too.”

She nods. “Well, until everyone finishes dinner, you should come help me unpack.”

Jasper nods, leaving his dinner behind. He follows Kaori to help her get set up in her room. She had a lone bed in the guest bedroom, not the master suite. Jasper unzips one of the bags, Kaori sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“So, what’s the real tea with you and Mac.”

“What do you mean?” Jasper asks.

“Just, you haven’t been calling as much. Mel keeps saying she had a bad feeling about you… and Mac.” 

“Everything has been… good,” Jasper says. “We go to work, we come home to each other. It’s completely normal. Our lives are normal, you know?”

“Nothing… scandalous.”

Jasper takes a deep breath before shrugging, shaking his head. “Everything is as good as it can be. He hates this guy at school, Melville. Real asshole from what he says. His friend Jeremy is really uh… the flamboyant type.”

“Hmm… is it a gay friend?”

“Yeah. They work together.”

“Anything there?”

“Are you suggesting Mac is cheating on me? I’m telling you, there is nothing scandalous, horrendous, or exciting happening. I mean… not like telenovela exciting.”

“Right,” she says. “So Mel’s feeling is totally wrong?”

“Sort of. There is nothing wrong here… nothing stressful.”

She nods. 

“So uh, your crystal things,” Jasper asks, holding up a face roller. “Explain.”

Mac is pouring coffee when Jasper and Kaori return, Jasper slipping in beside Mac, kissing his head. “Need help?”

“Uhh no, I’m okay. Kaori get settled okay?”

“Yeah. She was asking why Mel had a bad feeling before coming here.”

“And…?” Mac asks, looking to Jasper curiously, his big blue eyes already forgiving.

“She leads such a different life… she’s still… 25, partying for her life. Affairs with guys, flings with friends, cute little house parties…” 

“So…”

“I don’t know, if I told her, she’d say it’s no big deal… She wouldn’t understand.”

Mac nods, kissing Jaspers temple gently. “I understand.”

“Mmm is that the new coffee we got?”

“Mmhm. Good thing we got a lot, we’re going to need a lot tomorrow. Jacks old delta unit agreed to come. I think the amount of food we’re making, it being enough for a small village with leftovers, will be enough.”

“Oh perfect. Is the dessert enough?”

“You have a whole fridge at the bakery worth of croquembouche and cake and cookies. You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Just a little,” he says. “Oh also, I learned a lot about Kaori’s boyfriend and his dick now. So… I shared a couple stories of my own.”

“Ugh well, thanks for telling me, very big of you.”

They share a smile, Jasper kissing him. “They were good stories. All about how damn cute you are, and how pretty you are, and how nice your thighs are from all that running. Even your worst traits endear me.”

Mac laughs. “Keep talking like that and we’re going to cancel Thanksgiving Eve.”

“Don’t do that, t’s not Christmas Eve, no early gifts.”

“I’ll be too bloated tomorrow though.”

“I’ll cuddle you and tell you you’re pretty.”

“And you’ll carry the tray into the living room because my arms are too tired.”

Jasper laughs, taking the tray with all the mugs, Mac carrying in the creamer and sugar. Kaori has settled between Julius and Mel, talking to them, Mac watches Jasper as he offers everyone a mug. Offering to make it for them. He helps, making each mug the way he knew his friends would like it. They take care of their respective families. The night melting into a mix of laughing, talking, bickering. 

The night eases into the morning before anyone really expects it, Mac shifting as Jaspers phone goes off. They fell asleep on the couch some point late last night. Riley and Chance are laying on the floor under a blanket. The TV was on a sleep screen, the sounds of the city were loud and rambunctious. Mac shakes Jasper awake. “The parade. We were going to Jeremy’s to see the parade.”

“Okay, okay, it’s only 7.10,” Jasper mutters, turning off his alarm. Surprisingly enough nobody else woke up. Mac tugging Jasper up. “Coming, coming.” Mac and him stumble upstairs, smiling. 

They change out of their clothes into fresh ones, warmer ones. Jasper puts on a thick, ugly wool button up with an 80’s pattern, tucks into his thin legged pants. Mac puts on black turtle neck and pulls on one of Jaspers old coats, a grey wool one, Jasper putting a grey and black plaid scarf around his neck. Mac adjusts his wedding ring on his finger, admiring the diamonds and gold in the bedroom light. Outside it was cloudy and grey. 

“Are we taking the car?”

“That’s why we have it baby.”

“Can we stop for starbucks?”

“Anything for you, my love…” he says softly, Jasper adding a couple more rings and he shifts his anklet, the one he never took off. He takes it off and switches it to his left leg. “Mm a latte sounds good right now, doesn’t it?”

“Really good,” Mac says, hand going down Jaspers chest, smoothing his shirt. He leans in, kissing his neck, leaning his head on Jaspers shoulder. “How do you make an ugly shirt look so damn good?”

Jasper laughs, hugging him gently, kissing his head. “Sleepy babe?”

“Yeah, but no time for naps. Coffee is needed until we get through the night.”

“And we will get through it, now lets go?”

Jasper grabs his coat as they go to leave, Mac grabbing the keys. They walk out, the building quieter than usual. They head downstairs, the elevator dinging each floor. “So… I think Carlos is coming.”

“Yeah?”

“Call it a feeling.”

“Sound like me…”

“Sure,” Mac says. “I uh… I don’t know, things always feel a little awkward between us. It’s just… like he and I will always know he broke my heart, but he’d never admit anything happened at all. We’re just friends.”

Jasper nods. “Well you are just friends now,” he says. 

“Are you really insecure about a relationship I had when I was 18.”

“You’re bringing it up,” Jasper defends.

“Yeah, but… I’m just saying it’s kinda weird. Don’t you think? To always feel like there’s something unsaid?”

“Maybe we should let him stay in the room across the hall, and then he can really feel like there’s something unsaid.”

Mac smacks him. “You’re not allowed to have sex with me when I’m bloated.”

Jasper laughs. “Why are you so concerned about being bloated all of a sudden?” 

Mac hums, leaning against him. “I don’t know… I’m going to be 27 soon, and like… that’s so old,” he complains. 

“Yeah, I’m going to be 29, that’s like 1 year away from 30.”

“Ugh, you’d be sexy grey though.”

“I’m not going grey.”

Mac laughs. “Yeah but if you were… you’d still be really sexy,” he coos, pulling Jasper into a kiss. 

“What does 27 have to do with being bloated?” Jasper asks as they part when the elevator hits the garage level. 

“Because when you get older you’re always bloated. Like Jack? Always bloated.”

“Jacks almost 50.”

“Okay well…” 

The doors open and they go to the car. Mac preorders their drinks at starbucks and Jasper waits in the car as he goes inside to pick it up. He just rounds the block while Mac goes to get them. He finds Mac waiting outside and gets back in the car.

“Cold as fuck,” Mac mutters, sipping his iced latte anyways. Jasper laughs. 

“Ironic, huh?”

Mac closes his eyes. “Caffeine hits different when you’re really tired.”

“I can’t believe we stayed up so late.”

“Honestly, me either… but we had so much fun. You know? I think Riley is jealous of Kaori.”

“Yeah, I didn’t notice from you telling me to intervene.”

“She’s afraid that Kaori is going to take Leanna from her.”

“Nah, Kaori is just being nice offering to take them places.”

“What’s up between you and her?”

“Nothing, just… like I said last night. She’s still living that fun, vibrant life. I don’t live like that anymore- I don’t  _ want  _ to live like that anymore.”

“Because we’re so old.”

“No, just… You aren’t a crazy, party person. Right? And I… I don’t know, I settled down. Going out to party and all that lavish spending- the crazy rich friends who mean nothing to me other than benefits? It’s… god it’s empty. You know?”

“You’ve never really lived like that,” Mac points out, Jasper getting kinda quiet. 

“She asked if you were having an affair,” he says. “Like it was nothing…”

“Because, she’s always seen you as this open, fun, out there… sexy and always getting it kind of guy. But before me you had like what… 3… maybe 4 other partners? I  _ know  _ you, and I know that guy she thinks you are or were isn’t who you really are.”

Jasper nods. “I just… I want to connect with her, I don’t want to lose her. But I don’t want her to think that… you’re preventing me from living my life. That’s not true.”

“I hope not, I had 3 orgasms the other night.”

Jasper laughs. “That’s not what I meant.”

“And last week I watched that stupid musical movie.”

“Yeah okay, fine.”

“And that week we also went-”

“I get it. I’m not saying you are, and I don’t think you are. You’re my best friend.”

“She’s your Carlos. You’re not who she thinks you are, so you have all these unsaid things. Wow, funny how we connect like that… huh… maybe like fate and destiny are a thing.”

“Wow you being tired is way better than you being drunk,” Jasper says, taking his cup and taking a sip of his hot latte. Mac laces their hands as they get closer to Jeremy’s apartment.

“I don’t know,” Mac says after a moment. “I just… love you so much,” he concludes. “Like wayyy too much maybe.”

Jasper laughs. “Yeah?”

“Yeah… I don’t know what I’m saying, that has nothing to do with your problem. Have you tried just being honest? You’re like… the nicest, most charitable person ever. Everyone loves you. Nobody hates you.”

“Maybe she won’t hate me… she just might not like who I am. That’s all.”

“Well guess who likes you?”

“You?”

“Hell yeah it’s me.”

Jasper laughs, the two of them pulling up to Jeremy’s block, trying to find parking on the street from all the crowds that were gathering to see the parade. There were hundreds of people gathered on the city blocks. Jasper is able to find parking at a bakery. “Oh I know these people,” Jasper says.

“You do?” Mac asks, head leaning against his hand, half asleep. 

“Mmhm, wait in the car until I buy some croissants and ask if it’s okay to stay parked here.”

Mac nods, taking a little nap until Jasper comes back. “Come on babe, lets go. Is Jeremy’s apartment super far?”

“No, he lives in this nice building with his boyfriend right on 59 west. You should see their view of the park, and the apartment is a decent 2 bedroom.”

“See? We could live across the park, in a nice big pent house. You have to admit, ours is quite small.”

“Yeah it is… but I like our house. It’s perfect for us.”

“Sure, sweet heart,” Jasper says, the two walking to Jeremy’s apartment building, Mac sipping his latte, trying to get his blood going. To feel more awake. They get there, buzz his door number.

“Whooo could that handsome man be?” Jeremy asks over the com.

“Only your favorite friend.”

“Helena has you beat.”

“Yeah well I bought croissants.”

“Hmm okay, I guess I’ll let you in.” They get buzzed in, Mac and Jasper climbing upstairs to the floor and apartment number that Jeremy sent him. 

“Really nice building,” Jasper notes, Mac humming. “Imagine the ones in billionaires row.”

“We don’t have that kind of money right now.”

“Sure we do. After this weekend, and our investments checks that are coming in.”

“That’s barely enough for a pent house like those.”

“Enough for a down payment.”

Mac shrugs. “I will certainly think about it, amor.” They find Jeremy’s apartment, his boyfriend answering.

“Wow, you must be Macgyver!” The man says. “I’m Clark,” he says. Mac and Jasper beam. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Jeremy has said so much about you.”

“I’m really glad he has. You two should come in, we made breakfast, and better coffee.” Mac and Jasper raise their cups in sync without realizing. He laughs. 

“We had a really long night,” Jasper excuses. “We had to caffeinate ASAP.”

“Totally understandable.”

“You got starbucks without me?” Jeremy asks, his normal chipper self. 

“I love you a lot,” Mac says. “But please stop being so happy this early.”

“You always get up early.”

“Yeah well we accidentally fell asleep on the couch around 2 AM so.”

“Awwh so you need a nap,” Helena says, opening her arms. Mac nods, plopping down and resting his head on her breast. “How are you handling this? You hate being up early.”

Jasper laughs. “I’m… handling it as best as I can I think.” 

“Breakfast is in the kitchen you two. We made grilled cheese, popovers, eggs, bacon… fruit, the whole lot.”

“Wow, thanksgiving breakfast, I’ve never had that before,” Mac says. Jeremy laughs. 

“It’s a good gig. Eat now, and eat later.”

“Literally amazing,” he teases. Him and Jasper go to the kitchen, looking around at the beautiful, white painted, open space. The tiles were white with red flowers, perfectly gorgeous. Jasper looks out the window, looking at the flowers inside along the sill. Mac smiles, and the idea of moving somewhere less… stuff, with more windows they could open, right next to central park, not the high line (a fakers garden, Jasper says) was… well perhaps more conducive to environment Jasper could survive in. 

Jasper always says he married a tropical fish, but Mac forgets he married a forest witch. He nudges Jasper. “Share a plate? Its too early to eat.”

Jasper nods, putting his croissants out. Clark comes in, fawning over the croissants, Jeremy smiling happily. He kisses his cheek, and they grab coffee together, whispering in the corner. Jeremy goes back to Helena, Clark going into the back of the house, behind the kitchen. Mac grabs half a bagel, sure that Jasper will eat the other half. Jasper adds some fruits, Mac takes a couple pieces of bacon, Jasper is more interested in the sausage over the eggs. Mac isn’t surprised by this, they take their coffees and their shared plate, and stick close together in a corner of one of the couches. The plate balances on Jaspers thigh.

“So what are your plans today?” Helena asks.

“He’s throwing a party, remember?” Jeremy reminds. “They’re uber rich and fancy and do things like host thanksgiving parties.”

“We’re hosting dinner like every normal family,” Mac says. “And you guys aren’t obligated to come. I’d just like it if you at least passed by for dessert.”

“Right,” Helena said. “Who’s going to be there?”

“Let me take a guess,” Jeremy says. “Ryan Reynolds.”

“Alicia Keys.”

“Charlie from Afghanistan… Carlos from boot camp. Our family?” Mac offers.

“We’re just having fun, you’re so grumpy when you’re tired,” Jeremy says. 

“Sorry,” Mac says softly. 

“There is a rumor,” Jasper cuts in. “That Mac is actually seeing a really hot celebrity behind my back, and that he might show tonight.”

Mac smiles. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“Well I know they’re just covering for you.”

“What can I say? I have really great friends.” Jasper offers Mac the half bagel he’d buttered, Mac taking a bite. Jeremy raises a brow. 

“Uhh… is this like a joke on our joke?”

“Something like that,” Jasper says. “What? You wanted us to play along.”

“Right, right.”

“Do you think we actually know like celebrities and stuff, Jeremy?”

“Don’t you?”

“Just a lot of CEO’s and stuff. Nobody uber famous.”

“I never claimed to know famous people,” Mac clarifies to Jasper, who nods, as if he’d known all along. Mac wasn’t that kind of person, he could hardly lie about eating a small piece of chocolate. Let alone about knowing people he didn’t know. 

“I never said you did, we were just joking.”

“Jeremy, hon, maybe we’re being insensitive,” Clark interjects. “Lets just let it go.”

“Fine,” he offers. “So, is everyone in yet?”

“For the most part,” Jasper says. “All of our family is in.”

It continues like this, and the only really exciting part about their morning there is the parade. Helena walks down to her car with them. “I think Jeremy and his boyfriend are having problems, that’s why he was so weird this morning.”

Mac nods. “They seemed a little tense.”

“Yeah, he says they’re not having sex or something. He’s just taking his frustration out on you. Not that he should but… you know.”

Mac nods again, not sure what to say. “Will we see you later?”

“Maybe,” she says. “My car is over this way.”

He nods, going to the car with Jasper. They walk the whole way there in silence. “Should we get the desserts?”

Jasper nods. “We won’t have time later… you okay?”

“Yeah, it was just weird. I mean, his house is really nice. His boyfriend seems great- what were all those jabs at  _ me  _ for?”

“We’re just so damn cute together.”

“Yeah well… I didn’t like it.”

“Well, he probably won’t show up tonight. So you don’t have to worry about it. Now… tell me the checklist for the day, Angel.”

Mac smiles wide, pulling up his phone and reading off what they needed to get done.

“Okay… I think this is right,” Bozer says, him and Riley looking at the turkey they prepared. They didn’t get to do it last night, and Bozer had only ever spatchcocked chickens, usually with Jasper a few feet away. “It looks right.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever unsee breaking that Turkey’s back,” Riley says softly. 

“Yeah well… sorry to pop that cherry for you,” Bozer says. “Okay… so we just put in the oven right.”

“You make the great turkey every year.”

“Yeah but… This is Mac and Jaspers house. I’ve never made a Turkey here before. I don’t know how Mac wants these things to be done.”

“I think as long as it’s not undercooked or overcooked, Mac is going to be the most pleased person in all of New York City.”

Bozer makes a face. “Are we sure? Because he seems real tense about hosting.”

“I’m sure. Trust me, I watched him try to convince Jasper to make ducks for thanksgiving and his reasoning was they couldn’t know that it was thanksgiving because, from an evolutionary stand point, it hasn’t been long enough for them to know.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he was being really weird that night.”

“Well I’m dying to ask, what’s it like living here?”

“Honestly…? Like a dream come true. Everything is… relaxed. Mac and Jasper are just so loving and fun, and their lives are like- well it’s just so charming. They go to farmers markets and fight with dish towels and… everything is just figured out here. The biggest problem I face everyday is an annoyed customer… or my boyfriend wanting attention when I have to work.”

Bozer laughs. “And… Mac?”

“He’s so happy,” Riley says softly, almost sad. “I feel like… when I got here I thought I didn’t know who he was anymore. But it’s… it’s  _ him.  _ He just knows what he loves, what he wants. He’s the same guy, just comfortable with himself.”

“But he’s okay?”

“Yeah. You should see them together full time. You feel like you’re in a bad romcom.”

“No way.”

“Seriously. And it’s like, they never fight, they’re always there for each other. They kiss and they joke and poke fun at each other, they go their separate ways then come back together to talk about their days.”

“Kind of like me and Leanna…”

She smiles. “Things are still good?”

“Better than they’ve ever been. It’s like the longer I know her, the more I find to love about her.” 

Riley smiles. “I feel that way about Chance, or I’m starting to. I hope it never goes away.”

“I hope it doesn’t either. Riley, he is the coolest dude I’ve ever met and he does stocks for a living.”

“Right? Ugh, and he’s so dreamy.”

“Good in bed?”

“I uh… I don’t know. We haven’t… done it yet.”

“And he’s still waiting on you? Girl, he is so the one.”

Riley laughs. “I hope so. I’m tired of looking.”

The door opens and Mac and Jasper are walking into the front door holding the dessert boxes. They have the desk clerk helping them. “Bring them over here,” Mac says as they walk in. “Wow is that the turkey? Looks really good,” he says smiling.

“Where were you two all morning?” 

“Jeremy’s house to see the parade.”

“Parades not over.”

“Oh he’s only at the very start of it. The thick of it is when they get into the center of town, really, but it was nice. Seeing all the bands and the rockets.”

“We should go see them on broadway,” Jasper says.

“Hmmm yeah,” Mac agrees. They tip the morning clerk for helping them. Mac shedding the coat and scarf. “Okay, I think I want to go sleep for a while.”

“Those plaid pants are nice,” Riley says. 

“Thanks, they’re my husbands.”

“Funny,” she says. He smiles. 

“I am not allowed to cook, so wake me up around 12,” he says. They all agree, Bozer taking a double take and going upstairs after Mac. 

“Hey man, I know you want to sleep but I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah, anything,” Mac says. 

“I just… I was wondering… do you like being married?” 

Mac laughs, taking off his wedding ring, pulling his shirt off and leaving the Henley underneath. “Yeah… I think being married is fun.”

“You think it’s fun?”

“Sure. I’m married to a guy who’s like my best friend. Everynight is like a sleepover, we tell each other everything. I have someone to travel with and try new restaurants with. There’s like nothing he doesn’t know about me. It’s like… going on a big adventure with someone, but it’s everyday life.”

“And you’re not… bored by it?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Whyyy are you asking?”

Bozer shuts the bedroom door, and walks closer. “I was thinking of propsing to Leanna.”

“Shut  _ up. _ ” Macs eyes are gleaming. “Really?”

“Yeah, and… I don’t know, I thought I’d get a married persons opinion first.”

“As a married person, I’m very happy.”

“Does sex get worse after being married?”

“Oddly better.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah… I don’t know, the whole marriage thing, you just know.”

“Seriously?”

“We didn’t get married because my life was shitty and I wanted to escape. We’d been talking about it since… well, remember when Riley was in that plane with Billy that almost shut down?”

“Yeah…?”

“Around that time. I remember, she was seeing another guy, and I was trying to tell Jack she needed to be able to date and explore and I mentioned how if I got married it’s not like he’d be losing me. He totally freaked, you know? And I put off the conversation with  _ Jack  _ but it was a conversation I had with Jasper. It wasn’t a joke. We just knew… we were it, were ready, we wanted to seal that deal.”

Bozer nods. “I felt like that a long time ago about Leanna, but I knew she wasn’t ready.”

“Yeah, you know, women think things through more. Probably not a bad thing.”

Bozer laughs. “Yeah… definitelty not. But Riley says you never fight.”

“Are you kidding? We were just arguing in the car.”

“About what?”

“Who’s going to win Bachelor in Paradise.”

Bozer scoffs. “That’s not a real argument.”

“It is. We disagree, but… you know we don’t like screaming match, full blown fight. Not often. And that’s… you know, that just means we have a really tight wave of communication. When I say everything, I mean he knows  _ everything  _ that goes in my life. At school or when he’s not around at home. He knows. And not because he has a third eye. It’s a lot of trust and commitment and work… but its worth it, if you really mean it.”

Bozer nods. “I was also hoping you’d help me pick a ring… if you really think it’s a good idea.”

“Do you think it is? Do you think she’s ready?”

“I think so… I think it’s time.” 

“Then tomorrow, you get her to go out with Riley, do some black friday shopping, and we can go to Lauren B Jewelers.”

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“I have an idea,” Mac teases. Bozer opens his arms and they hug. “Now please leave so I can take a nap.”

“Sure thing. Noon, right?”

“Please.” Mac goes and plops in his bed, takes from Jaspers extra blankets that he always uses at night for whatever reason (Mac was not aware of his blanket hogging habits) and wraps himself cozy. 

Jasper walks around the table counting the chair. He sent Riley upstairs to wake up Mac, Jack was in his apartment getting ready. Mel and Julius had retired upstairs, Kaori picking things up and helping clean. 

“What’s the problem?” she asks, going next to him. 

“I think… well okay, we have just enough seats for Jack and his friends… and if we have… I don’t think there  _ are  _ enough seats.”

“What do you mean? Everyone has a name plate.”

“We might have extra guests… I should set up the table extension,” Jasper says, Kaori nodding. 

“You want help?”

“Sure, there should be a second table cloth in the closet right there,” Jasper says as she goes to the closet with him. He pulls out the table extension and leaves her to find the cloth. “It should be like in one of those… plastic things, you know like how the bed sheets come in? But slimmer, and for a tablecloth.”

“Uhhh…” she nods, looking through and picking up an empty one. “Is it this?”

“Yeah,” Jasper says, glancing over while he sets up the heavy table extension. “Can you uhh- Here can you help me out. This is almost as heavy as the actual table.” He had it on it’s side. She puts down the empty bag and goes to help him. 

The set up the extension, Mac coming down in his henley and plaid pants. “What are you guys doing?”

“Setting up the extension in case- Kai, my love, can you give me the tablecloth?”

“So uhh that’s the thing… the bag is empty?” she says sweetly and the two look at her. 

“What? No way, I bought the one with two tablecloths,” Mac says, going to the closet and looking through all their stuff. “Did you put it somewhere else?” 

“Nooo, I thought you put it away.”

“No, I could’ve swore there was-” Mac searches through the closet. “How did I miss this beforehand?” 

“Don’t  _ panic _ .”

“We can’t have a naked table! That’s indecent.”

“We won’t. We can use the gold table cloth-”

“It doesn’t match,” Mac cuts in. “Its going to look  _ tacky. _ ”

“Hey, aren’t you all about improvising?” Kaori reminds. “So we can just-”

“Improvising works when you don’t have a gun and need to make a chemical weapon. Improvising  _ doesn’t  _ work when you’re throwing a party with everyone you know and your thousands of dollars table has a tacky sheet on it.”

“You’re freaking out,” Jasper says. “Take a deep breath, please? Look, we’re going to make it work. Come on, we have that heavy white sheet upstairs, and I have gold string that I can sew into the edges-”

“Why don’t I do it, so you can cook?” Kaori says. “Besides, I’m the better seamstress. Wheres your box?”

“Box?” Mac asks.

“She means sewing kit,” Jasper offers. “Here, let me show you where everything is.”

“I’ll have it done in an hour,” Kaori says. “Bozer?” She calls.

“Yo!” 

“Can you make Mac a hot toddy. He really needs a drink.”

“Yes Ma’am,” he says, Riley walking downstairs. Jasper smiles. 

“What’s going on?”

“Mac is in major crisis mode,” Kaori assesses. “So we are going to sew up a nice new-” she snaps a picture of the tablecloth, “table cloth and we are going to make it look even better than the first.”

“Thank you, Kaori,” Mac says, Jasper rubbing his shoulder. “I could’ve swore I bought two. Where did the other one go?”

“It’s okay, party prep panic is real babe. Just gotta go with the flow,” he says. “Look how great everything is already shaping up to be.”

Mac nods, Jasper meeting his eyes and nodding with him, making sure he calms down. “Go with the flow…” Mac pauses. “Do we have enough silverware and plates?”

“You know we still have our old silverware? The one we use all the time. Right?”

“Yeah but thats not for guests.”

“Why not?”

“Because the blog I read about this stuff said so.”

“Ah yes, and everything we read on the internet is true.”

Mac makes a face. “Shush you. Help me pick out what we’re going to use as plates… and now we have to make more turkey napkins- how did we overlook this?”

“Thanksgiving isn’t about football, it’s about stress,” Jasper says, ushering his husband to the kitchen, leaving Kaori without her sewing materials. She watches them go, lifting her finger as if to speak up then wilting. 

“Do  _ you  _ know where all the sewing stuff is?”

“I have an idea,” Riley offers, taking her upstairs to find all the sewing materials. She takes her to a closet upstairs and pulls out a thick white tablecloth that had no decor on it. “Do you think it’s this one?” 

“Must be. Where’s the sewing stuff?”

“Uhh… I didn’t Jasper  _ owned  _ sewing stuff,” Riley admits, and they walk to the outer ring of the upstairs, the door that was on the other side of the railing and opening the door. It was an office, Riley knew that, but she’d never been in there.They opened it and it was dark, but not dusty. She opens the light to reveal trinkets, paintings, drawings. 

“Oh this looks like Jaspers,” Kaori admits. “Do you think he’s being weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, like, I was trying to talk to him last night, but he just… he didn’t seem like himself.”

“I had the same problem with Mac when I first got here.”

“Yeah but Macs always been the quiet type. Not Jasper… I don’t know, I’m probably overthinking it. We’re at different places in our lives, he probably wants to… have kids or something, that’s like the scariest thing that could happen to me right now. That’s like, you know, really different.”

“Yeah it is,” Riley agrees. “If it helps he seems really happy that you’re here.” 

“You think so?”

Riley nods. She knew how it felt, to feel like an outsider in her own brothers life. It wasn’t pleasant, to feel out of place like that. To feel like she didn’t belong there. Kaori explores the cabinets and drawers until she finds the sewing Machine. She sets it up and takes the gold. She holds up the picture on her phone for reference, wasting little time to get sewing. She hears Jasper asking where she went, followed by him climbing the stairs. 

“There you are,” he says. “You found everything. Nice. Riley is like a golden retriever, I guess..” he taps her nose and smiles. “Okay, you two have fun, Bozer, Leanna, and I are helping Mac remedy his uh… table situation.”

“I’ll come help,” Riley says, following Jasper downstairs. Mac is working on his napkin turkeys, Bozer is assigning straws, since Mac made over 115 of them, to cups as they work. Leanna is learning how to make the Turkeys and following his step by step. Jasper goes back to the kitchen. They are busied and working on setting up the table, the extension, and soon working on adjusting Kaori’s perfectly sewn new tablecloth onto the table. Mac has picked out his best secondary plates, and they’re laying everything out perfectly. 

“It’s 2.17!” Riley calls. “Guests are coming in less than an hour!”

Jasper and Mac take themselves upstairs to get ready, Mel and Julius replacing them, cooking in the kitchen in their nice party clothes. Riley is dressed in the outfit she got fit to her when she went to the tailors with Mac and Jasper, a perfect brown dress that had glitter in the sleeves, fitted to her beautiful body. She wore stockings with no heels yet, padding around the house, trying to help as best as she can. She keeps an eye on her Turkey, knowing if anything happened to that turkey, it’d be over for her. 

Mac, already having faced travesty for the day, would not be very happy if there was no bird on the table. 

“Hey that phone is ringing,” Julius says. 

“Yeah, it’s what they use to buzz people in,” Riley says. She goes to answer it. “Hello?” it’s the desk clerk from that morning. “Oh yes, we are expecting a lot of guests today. Who are they? They’re early? A… Carlos? Uh- yes! Oh yes, we are expecting a Carlos,” she says, even though he’s not on the list pasted next to the phone of RSVP’d guests. She heard Mac say it earlier when they were leaving the house. Something about  _ Carlos  _ before she’d gone to sleep. She remembers seeing him in Puerto Rico to rebuild his house. 

Upstairs Mac is looking at the plaid pants. “These  _ do  _ look really good on me,” he says. Jasper laughs. 

“So where them with the button up.”

“Yeah but they’re kinda green, and my shirt is red. So I’ll look like I’m Christmas one month in advance.”

“Nothing wrong with Christmas, darling.”

Mac laughs, Jasper kissing his cheek. “Besides those brown pants we bought are really good at making my legs look hot.”

“They are, that’s why we bought them.”

“Maybe I should wear the brown pants with that turtle neck-”

“Why? Everything is figured out, now you’re just asking to complicate things.”

“Because, I don’t know, it feels tacky.”

“What does?”

“The shirt,” he says, holding up the dark red shirt. It was a sort of silky material, and when they’d tried it on, it had looked great on Mac. “Besides, you get to wear this sexy, sort of see-through brown shirt that glimmers. And I’m wearing… this.” 

“You liked it when we bought it.”

“Yeah but I feel like my outfits are becoming predictable.”

“Okay, so come on. Put on the brown pants and wear the turtle neck. It matches your wedding ring, and-” he goes to his closet and pulls out a poncho type sweater, dark brown to match the pants, but it had a plaid pattern. “This would look great with it. So you get to keep the plaid thing you got goin on, goin on.”

Mac nods, agreeing with the outfit. He puts on the outfit and inspects himself in the mirror. Riley peaks into their door as Jasper is taking off his shirt. She eyes him for a second than looks away. 

“Can I help you?” Mac asks. 

“Uhh yeah, Carlos is downstairs,” She whispers. 

“Carlos?”

“And his wife. They brought their kids.”

“Oh, Deacon has kids coming,” Jasper says. 

“Right… uhm… well I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Mac says, adjusting his shirt. Jasper is off to the bathroom. “Anyone else here?”

“No but I’m pretty sure I heard Jack on the phone with one of his friends, so they’re probably all rounding in as a group or meeting up or… something.”

“Right,” Mac agrees. He fixes his shirt, then adjusts his pants. “Do I look good?”

“Sexy,” she says. He pulls on the poncho thing, Riley going to help him style it. She peaks into the bathroom. “Damn, no wonder you have sex so much.”

Mac smacks her arm. “Stop staring at my husband. He’s accounted for.”

She laughs. “I’m just saying, he does not look like he packs that much muscle.”

“Yeah well, he works out a lot.” Mac turns her around and walks her out. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Are you jealous? I’d let you oggle  _ my  _ boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend has nothing on mine.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“He’s multifaceted. Boyfriend, husband, lover… you name it. He  _ is  _ it.”

“Hot, muscly- is he packing heat?”

“Oh, now you want to know about my sex life? Go… amuse Carlos. And don’t burn the Turkey.”

She laughs and Mac rolls his eyes but she can see he’s ever fond of her company. He disappears back into her room and she pokes her head back in. “Should I check the coffee corner to make sure it’s not a liquor corner now?”

“Ugh, I wish.”

“What are you two girls chatting about?” Jasper teases, walking out. Riley raises a brow at Mac. 

“Just how much  _ I  _ need a bathroom break,” She jokes and Mac tosses a pillow at her.

“I’m telling Chance.”

“Yeah, what are you going to tell him?”

“I’m confused,” Jasper says, taking off his tank top and grabbing his shirt from the closet. 

“Nothing,” they say at the same time. 

“Don’t forget Carlos is downstairs,” she teases.

“Don’t forget you’re having a dry spell,” he says pushing her out.

“I think I’m over it. I think i’ve been recharged.”

Mac scoffs, giving a lopsided smile. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“You wouldn’t.” 

“I’m about to.” He goes back into his room to grab a pair of socks. “Riley thinks you’re hot,” he says, pulling his socks on. “And Carlos is downstairs.”

“I heard the Carlos part. Riley thinks I’m hot?”

“Ready to ride your thighs kinda hot.”

“Damn, sounds like you’re feeling neglected.”

“No we talked about this.”

“Riley has a hot guy waiting downstairs. She definitely doesn’t want to ride  _ my  _ thighs. You on the other hand…”

“I’m already dressed. And Carlos is downstairs.”

“Sure, ride  _ his  _ thighs.”

“I already did, it was a lack lust experience. Sex is supposed to fun and blurry and dizzying. But he… isn’t,” Mac says, nodding. “Also I was 18 and had barely any sex, let alone good sex. So isn’t it good we can look back now and say it was bad?”

“Yeah it better have been,” Jasper teases, his shirt hanging on his body now. Mac kisses him affectionately. “I’m the best you’ve ever had.”

“And will ever have,” Mac promises. Jasper kisses him again. “Okay, I’m going downstairs. Wear your best cologne for me.” 

Jasper laughs, watching Mac go. 

He moves downstairs, finding Cadmium hiding in the edge of the hallway. “What’s going on buddy?” he asks her. “There’s a lot of people?” he pouts. He rubs behind her ears, kissing her head generously. “Come on, let's take you to Jacks?” 

Cadmium doesn’t get up or make a move to get up. Mac glances downstairs and he can see Bozer talking to Carlos. Cadmium gets up and goes to his bedroom, whining at Jasper, he can hear him cooing to her. Mac goes downstairs in his nice outfit, dressed in his nice cologne and he twists his wedding ring, letting the diamonds glimmer in the cloudy light coming in from outside. 

“Hey man,” he says. “You made it all the way out here, huh? And to think you weren’t coming just two days ago.”

Carlos laughs when he sees Mac. “Well you know, I did say I was sending you a surprise for the party.”

“And you’re the surprise?” Mac asks. 

“Something like that,” Carlos agrees. “But you can’t unwrap this gift, sorry.”

Mac laughs, shrugging dramatically. “Sad.” 

“You remember Kamila, my lovely wife?”

“I couldn’t forget you,” he says to Kamila, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles charmingly. Leanna giggles at his little show for his friends, leaning back. 

“Leanna can you come here? I think the mushrooms are done,” Riley says, and Leanna gets up to help. 

“Hows the chicken looking?”

“God I don’t know. Jasper likes to finesse on all of us. Has to outshine my turkey.”

Mac laughs as he listens to them. He looks to Bozer. 

“Working on the mashed potatoes and I got eggs boiling for deviled eggs,” He assures and Mac nods. 

“So are you guys staying anywhere?”

“Oh we got a hotel close by. I have to say, all the places around here are crazy expensive. But totally worth it. The highline hotel across the street?”

“Nice place, right? That’s where Jasper and I stayed when we were touring houses. Someone told us about the open house for this place, and so we came in. We didn’t expect much really.”

“Yeah well it looks  _ fantastic.  _ And those lights? You synced them up to the music?”

“Yeah, that’s all my hand work. And the pinwheel straws, origami turkey napkins, and everything in between. I am officially a party host.”

“He doesn’t do this often,” Bozer fills in, making the two laugh. 

“Make yourselves at home, I’ll get you something to drink- do you want coffee or tea or- is it to early for wine? A little probably. There’s also juice?” 

“Did someone order a side of pot pie?” he hears from the door, Mac perking up. 

“A side of pot pie? I heard lunch wasn’t on the menu today,” he teases, going to the door to see Frankie and Smitty walking in. They look at each others outfits. “Are we wearing the same outfit?”

“I am not going home to change,” she warns, the two laughing as he scoops her into a hug. 

“You made those great smelling pies?”

“Nope, my mom made them.”

“She would’ve burned down the house,” Smitty reminds. 

“Well, so would I. I’m not allowed to touch anything. Not the Hors D'oeuvres, or dinner, or desserts. I am the mere beauty that hosts this party.”

Frankie laughs, kissing his cheek. “Show me the kitchen so I can put down these pies.”

“Actually, lets start setting out the Hors D’oeuvres, we can put them in that back table behind the couches and such- you see? Where the candles are?” he leads her over anyways, Jasper coming downstairs and greeting Carlos, Kamila, and Adrianna. Mac is clearing off that back table, wiping it down before him and Frankie start setting up. 

“Are you and Mac wearing the same outfit?”

“We planned it,” Frankie says, winking. She kisses Jaspers cheek as she hugs him. “Wow… now how can I get smitty into a shirt like that?”

Jasper laughs, the dark brown shirt, gauzy, glistening, and sheer showed off just enough to be sexy, not enough to be explicit. Tucked into high waisted pants. His wedding ring was alone on his hands for once. His anklet peaked out from under his bell bottom pants. “Well, you just sit him down to talk with me sugar, and it’ll all be alright.”

Carlos and Kamila are joined by Smitty as he walks in with Leanna, the two chatting about something political. “You know, there is uh, the neighbors downstairs, they have a girl Adrianna’s age,” Mac says. “Nice people. Maybe I can ask them if their daughter can come up a little early?”

Mel walks in from Jacks, holding the things that she and Jack had been making. “We got some eggrolls,” she cheers. “And, Julius made Tamales for dinner. We left them in the oven at Jacks.”

“Perfect,” Mac says, taking the tray from her.

“Say nothing about me carrying this tray.”

“Okay, I say nothing. See? My lips are sealed.” Mac is walking towards the door, which has barely shut before it opens again. 

“I hate to be early to the party, is that unfashionable?” Charlie asks, Mac laughing.

“Only according to Jasper, but what does he care really?”

“You tell me.”

“He cares little, and just wants dinner to be on the table,” he teases. Charlie laughs, letting Mac lead him into the kitchen with the dish he brough. 

“This is my wife, Rose,” Charlie says. 

Mac smiles. “Lovely to meet you,” he says. “We met at the wedding as well, didn’t we?”

“Both our weddings,” she offers.

“Awful times to bond really.”

“Who wants to bond with  _ new  _ people when you’re busy getting hitched?”

“Exactly,” Mac says as if he’s been completely understood. “Mine is over there somewhere, setting up the Hors D’oeuvres. Oh!” Mac leaves the casserole Charlie brought with Julius as he brings Charlie into the living room. “I want you to meet Carlos.”

“ _ The  _ Carlos?”

“The one and only,” Carlos says, smiling as he stands to shake Charlie’s hand. “But, I have no idea who you are.”

“This is Charlie, he was an EOD that I worked with very closely in Afghanistan.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Charlie says. “It’s an honor to meet the first man to ever wrangle Angus Macgyver.”

Carlos laughs. “It wasn’t very hard to do. We were just kids back then.”

Mac smiles, Jasper coming over to his side, Carlos’ eyes snapping to look at them as Mac turns to listen to Jasper as he whispers something to Mac. “i will rejoin this conversation in a minute, you guys get to know each other, yeah?” 

Mac and Jasper go to the kitchen, Riley pulling out the Turkey. 

“I think its ready,” She says, Mac looking it over and looking to Bozer. “Right?”

“It’s the perfect temperature.”

Mac releases the breath he’s been holding all day. “Thank  _ god.  _ We finally don’t need to go to the store on Thanksgiving for a new turkey or… well whatever. It’s fine.”

“Can we breathe now?” Jasper asks, holding him by the hip. They all looking to him consecutively. “Yes. just uh… Don’t drop the turkey.”

Jasper laughs. “Always something for you to worry about. Come on, lets get the table set up. Riley, let me take the Turkey out,” he says, undoing the button his sleeves and rolling them up. He pulls on an apron and prepares to plate the Turkey. “Where’s the stuffing?”

“Uhh Jacks Kitchen,” Julius whispers and Jasper gives Julius a look. “I’m gonna go get it.”

“Yes you are.” 

Mac goes to answer the phone from the Clerk and accepting that the group of men and their wives downstairs were his guests. He figures it’s the Daltons heroes, and they all come upstairs, Jack walking into the apartment with all the food they’d left there. They plate and dress plates and fill the tables with all the food. Jasper gets out the wines, fills a fancy cooler with beers, sodas, and juice bottles. 

Mac stands by the door as their guests pour in, even if it’s only 2.45, everyone seemed to have the idea of being early, or having cut their exploration of New York City short.  _ Starving  _ came up a lot.  _ We’re starving, starving, starving.  _ What did starving really mean, anyways? 

He watches as all his friends and family pour in. The Daltons Heroes, their wives, their kids, Dean Thomas and his wife and kids. There was Jaspers friends from the bakery, Chance was paired up with Riley. Matty makes it just around 3.15. 

Some people Mac recognized from Zeus, close friends of Jaspers. Chickee was there with her boyfriend, Jill walked in with Matty, she said she had a girlfriend joining but she was stuck in traffic. 

Macs heart fills with joy, and he glances around, half expecting Lauren and Collin to be there. He smiles a bit, and Jasper walks up to him. “You okay?” he whispers. 

“Yeah, just… really glad everyone is here.”

“My friend Chet said he wasn’t going to make it.”

“No… really?”

“Really.”

“You made him up. This happens  _ every  _ time I think I’m going to meet him.”

“I know, I know. Are you sure you didn’t meet him at the wedding?”

“Our wedding over 2 years ago? Well gosh, if I did it was so brief I don’t remember.”

Jasper laughs, Anne who used to live across the street from him coming in with her baby. So did Carina and her now 6 year old. Mac had invited Pena’s widow and Annabelle but they were too busy to come. 

The kids run in, Jasper picking up Anne’s little girl from her arms. “Do you remember me?” The little girl gawks at him, blinking confused. “Awh okay, I guess not. Is Sierra coming? I sent her the invitation.”

“Nah, it’s the one time a year that her family comes in,” Anne says. She offers to take her baby back. “Keery, come here?”

She goes willingly, not quite remembering Jasper. Mac laughs at the look of betrayal he gets. “Oo is that Mac n Cheese?” Jasper asks, taking the tray from Chance. “Come on, man, you’re not family like that yet. You’re still a guest here.”

“Oh come on,” Chance says, flashing a pearly white smile. He was a token black boy, perfect dimples, full head of curls that dropped into his face. Tall, Handsome, and he smelled damn good. He was one of the nicest people that Jasper had met in the city. “I got it.”

“You go sit and mingle. Carlos came all the way in from Puerto Rico. He can tell you a thing or two about Mac when he was an angry 18 year old.”

“Has Mac ever been  _ angry _ ?”

“Yeah, I had a lot of hormones back then, lot of anger,” Mac says laughing. “Come on, lets go- everyone where’s your plates? The Hors D’oeuvres are all set. Nobody gets dinner until you’ve all taken a plate,” he teases, ushering Charlie and Rose up. “Come on, everything is almost set up on the table and you’re not here to look  _ cute.  _ You’re here to eat until you’re in a coma.”

“And here I was thinking we’d be watching the game,” Deacon teases, Charlie laughing and agreeing. Julius tosses Jasper the remote. 

“Who are we rooting for?” he asks Charlie, who laughs. 

“Whoever does better.”

“Oh I see.”

“You know, you and Mac should come down to Philly. I’m hosting the superbowl this year.”

“Really?” Jasper asks, feigning excitement. 

“Yeah, you guys would have a great time!” Charlie insists. “We’re inviting a whole bunch of friends. You two would fit right in.”

Jasper looks to Mac who’s laughing as he leads a whole bunch of people to the table with the hors d’oeuvres. He’s right at home with everyone there, Bozer standing next to him. They were funny together, and they made everyone around them laugh. Matty was joking with the two as she went to get her plate. Mac offers her a plate or two from the back to pick from. She smiles in thanks. 

Riley puts on some music,  _ Drew Barrymore  _ by Bryce Vine starting over the speakers they had set up, the lights working up with the beat of the song. “You know,” Jasper says. “That sounds like a damn good time. Send us an invite or something so I can keep it on the fridge. That way we won’t forget.”

“Philly is far from here, babe,” Rose says. “You guys gonna make it back home in time?”

“You know what, when the time rolls around, we’ll talk about it more. But, I don’t see why not? You’ve extended us a visit, we only owe you one back. Now you two have  _ got  _ to try this coconut chicken I made. With the dijon honey mustard I made?”

“Sounds amazing,” Charlie says, the three getting in the line at the table. Jasper moves to talk to the others in the room, Mac making sure at the end of the table that everyone has properly gotten something. Jasper helps the kids settle on the floor, he sets them up a tablecloth on the floor, nothing intense. 

He loops back around, dragging Mac in for a kiss. “Am I hallucinating? Why do you look hella famous,” he sings along, Mac laughing, kissing him again.

“Quit it, people are staring,” he jokes. 

“Because you’re so damn pretty. Its the pearl dust in the creme.”

“Oh for sure,” Mac agrees. 

“You got pearls on?” Chance teases. 

“Heyyy this is my party song,” Riley cheers, Leanna laughing. “Got the club feeling like a safe house!” they sing together, backing up to the couches, careful not to drop anything from their plates. 

“Should we put on more kid appropriate music?” Jasper asks, and Mac shrugs. 

“I don’t know, is anyone really listening?” 

“Okay, so we wait for complaints.”

Mac laughs. Mac agrees to pick off Riley’s plate. “Even day ones, watch out for them snake ones! White linen, white rose!” a group sing along as Chateau starts, Mac laughs as Jasper pulls him in, not letting him go. They spin together. “Get ready we goin to the chateau,” he sings to Mac, making him laugh. Mac hugs him kissing his ear, then dragging him along. “Come on, tables not set, we can have fun after the tables set,” Mac reminds.

“Come on, loosen up a little.”

“Age 25 and I’m rich now, no excuse you be actin like a bitch now!” a group of the women yell as they dance together in the open floor. Jack and his friends are mostly concerned with the football game, Charlie, Smitty and Carlos talkin in a corner. Kamila is talking with Anne who’s trying to get her baby to eat. 

Adrianna has gotten acquainted with the girls, and Mac hums. “Maybe we should see if the Smiths downstairs will let their sitter watch the kids. That way all the adults can have some adult fun.”

“You wanna go ask? I got the table.”

Mac nods, and he goes downstairs to the Smiths. “Hey, we were on our way up,” Annie says. 

“Well, funny, I was just about to ask if you were going to call your sitter.”

“Well we figured there wasn’t going to be any kids.”

“Actually, there’s a few girls about your girls age, but everyone is drinking and the music isn’t you know… super kid friendly. I’ll pay the sitter extra, if you want. I just thought maybe they could all hang out here.”

“Ohhh you know, that’s a good idea,” Annie says. 

“Fun story, there’s actually an Anne from Ohio. I think you’d like her.”

“Really?” she asks, laughing. 

“Is that the sitter?” Her husband, Derek asks. 

“No it’s mac.”

“What are you doing here?” Derek asks. 

“Oh I was just wondering if the sitter would want to watch the kids, there’s a few girls about your girls age-”

“That’s a perfect idea. Bring them down food.” 

“Sure, well dinner is being served soon, so why don’t you guys make your way up.”

They both agree. Mac goes upstairs to tell the parents that they can bring their kids downstairs. Carlos and Kamila go downstairs with them, Deacon just sends off his two, the boy bringing his console. Deacon's wife is with the other Dalton’s Heroes spouses. King Princess was playing, and Jasper was talking to Julius and Smitty, setting up the table. The kids are taken downstairs, Jasper uncorking the champagne just as the group get up when their team scores. Jasper laughs, pouring out champagne in every glass. There’s wine bottles every few chairs. 

Mac goes over to help, and he adjusts what he can, makes sure that everything is perfect. They call everyone over, letting everyone figure out where to sit, what to do. Jasper and Mac are the last to sit. “Riley do you want to carve your turkey?”

“Wait, wait, we should do a toast first,” she says. 

“Oh?”

“Yeah, uh I want to do the toast,” She says, picking up her glass. “I’m not really uh… good at these things, but Thanksgiving is the time to be sentimental I guess.” Everyone laughs. They all their glasses, for Riley. “I uh… I remember when I got out of prison, Mac and Jack were the first to take me in… and Mac always said we’re a family, that he would always be there to help me. I’m not going to lie, I had a liiiittle bit of a crush on him-” this makes everyone laugh. “- But I got over that pretty quickly when I realized what a big nerd he was… I uh, I was alone but Mac, Bozer, Jack, and Matty all took me in, and showed me what family really was. But when Mac got married and left, I was afraid that maybe I’d lost my brother, or that he would never be there for me again, and I was wrong. I wouldn’t have made it through these past 5 months without you or Jasper… Thank you for that. So a toast to family, and all that they do for us, even when they don’t have to.”

“To family,” Jack echoes, everyone else echoing behind them, clinking glasses before taking a sip. She wipes a tear, Chance helping her carve the turkey. They fill their plates with meat and stuffing. 

“Come on, you all can eat more than that. You mean all you big tough army men are eating the least?” Jasper teases, stuffing everyone's plates with stuffed mushrooms, potatoes, mac and cheese, everything on the table. Charlie is next to Mac, the two talking as he helps serve everyone. 

Everyone is laughing, drinking, and they dig into their plates. They all eat until they’ve licked their plates clean, every bite the best bite they’d ever eaten. They only drink when they can’t stand to eat anymore. They all talk between bites, taking their time. It’s all food, refilling their favorites, forks grazing over every sauce, digging into every dish. Trying everything, lavishing in all that there was. The sitter comes to take food for the kids, but the adults are caught in conversation, indulging in wine. Mac and Jasper share a bottle of wine, they all eat until they’re full. Then they eat a little more. 

Everyone leans back, lazing in the chairs, stomachs full, plates scraped empty for almost every person. They fall into a lull, into quiet. Romantic music plays over them, softened as if it understood the mood. “You outdid yourself, Sheriff,” Jasper hears, but he’s not really paying attention to notice who. 

“Yeah, it was a group effort, honestly,” he says, finishing off his glass of wine. If anyone ate the least it was Jasper. He savored every bite like it would be the last bite he ever took, everyone else was sure they could die happy now. Mac himself had eaten a little too much, knowing full well in a few hours he’d eat just as much in pies, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, croquembouche, and mousses. Someone brought donuts, another brought chocolates. 

Mac smiles. “Yeah. Riley the turkey was good,” he says, even if he had the smallest piece of it. If he was honest, he wasn’t even the biggest fan of Turkey. He just never wanted to admit it, felt unamerican of him. 

Riley is mostly asleep on Chance’s shoulder now. “Thanks,” She mumbles. Everyone laughs, even Matty. 

“I don’t ever think I’ll eat a mushroom again,” Charlie says. “Man, what did you put in those things? Crack?” 

“It’s my secret recipe. Believe what you want, though.”

“Whoever made the Tamales, god send,” Leanna chips in. 

“That’d be me,” Julius says. “I’ve done better. Besides, the taco pasta was the real show stopper. I mean, perfect amount of spice.”

“I haven’t eaten this much since I got  _ pregnant. _ ”

“Amen to that.”

“Wait, did you really put crack in the mushrooms?”

“Do you feel cracked?”

“What’s that like?”

“Like the flu, but better.”

“Everytime I think I can’t eat more, I just find myself eating more mac and cheese. My cholesteral has sky rocketed.”

“The lobster bisque.”

The collection of voices commemorate every dish, as if they hadn’t just eaten it moments ago, and slowly they commemorate as everyone brings the dishes to the kitchen, and you have people hand washing, hand drying, putting away, figuring out the works of the tiny kitchen. Jack and a few other men go to his apartment and prop open the windows while smoking cigars. Smitty sets up a hookah over there, and the passion of conversation forces itself back into the veins of every room. 

The tables get cleaned, the leftovers get packed. People end up at Jacks to smoke, or lounge on the couches while sullying over their bulging tummies. Frankie rubs Macs arm as he leans on her, so full he was exhausted suddenly. 

“That wine… God to die for, but I can’t take another sip.”

“A coffee is so needed, but I don’t think it’d make it down.”

She laughs, leaning her head on his. “That espresso machine is saying our name. Its singing  _ lattes! Lattes!  _ And i really don’t appreciate that.” 

Mac laughs. And it feels like they’re laughing for hours. The night lazes for about another hour when everyone can feel their legs come to life again. He gets up and goes to make the coffee. Jasper had escaped to the kitchen with Julius, they were talking at the table. “You made yourself coffee?”

Jasper offers his cup, and Mac lowers Jaspers arm, kissing his cheek. “Gonna make a pot for everyone. We might need more than one.”

“I’ll get Jacks pot and set that up too.”

Mac goes with him, only to end up sitting next to Smitty and sharing the Hookah with him, taking it from Jacks friend Oman. Fitzy and Ryan were in the corner talking. Jack was smoking a cigar with Deacon and Caleb. Calebs wife was with Riley, laughing it up in a corner with their own hookah. 

Mac is just enjoying himself, Jasper taking over making the coffee. Mac returns after a few puffs, Smitty remains, Mac going back to his own apartment. He’s glad he didn’t bring Cad over there, all that smoke wasn’t good for her little puppy lungs, she’d get sick. Jasper has taken up talking to those who were slowly filtering back into the penthouse. Even Jack himself makes his way back. The dessert finds its way onto the table, mostly out of necessity. 

There is lively chatter in the house, the music picking up beat again. 

Carlos goes to talk to Mac, to catch up properly, but his husband pulls him into a dance. He takes a moment to admire his smile, his laughter like bells, clinking in the air. It’s like New Years Eve, the way it feels like the world is counting down to a realization. There’s fireworks outside the window, he doesn’t know why, and the music gets loud and energetic, and everyone is dancing. Mac gets passed between Riley and Jasper and anyone else in between. They’re all laughing and having fun, and they’re merry and drunk. 

There’s beer laying around, there’s indiscernable noise, everyone is saying something, everyone is saying nothing. Carlos couldn’t make out a single world. 

“Why don’t you dance with me?” Kamila asks, and Carlos smiles, his world realigning. He never needed Mac anyways, they were  _ just friends  _ after all, and they always wound be. 

Mac parts from Riley to leave her with Chance, going to Jasper, pulling him away from who he was talking to for a kiss. Jasper kisses bath, letting go and not noticing as Mac disappears upstairs. He shuts his room door, and goes to put his phone on charge, his body still vibrating with the music downstairs, glee running his heart a million beats a minute. He can’t stop smiling. The night was far from over, but he felt like success was shot in his veins. Maybe there was crack in those mushrooms. 

He checks his phone as he plugs it in, Jeremy and Helena have texted him photos at a hookah bar downtown, a real popular one. He feels a little sad for a moment, but Jasper walks in, but Bozer walks in. 

“Where’d you go?”

“Oh I was just plugging in my phone. I haven’t charged it all day, and it’s on ten percent.”

“Well come on, Jasper is putting sparklers on the croquembouche.”

Mac laughs, putting his phone down and forgetting about his teacher friends. He goes downstairs, finding Dean Thomas by the stairs.

“What a party you’ve got!”

Mac laughs. “I’m glad you’re having fun. I invited some of the others, but I guess they’re all busy.”

“Oh they’re missing out. You better get up there, I want to send all the teachers a video of you setting those donuts on fire.”

Mac laughs, going up to help Jasper properly set up the sparklers, they pour a little alcohol down the croquembouche, and he takes a lighter from Worthy. Dean Thomas is gleaming with pride at his hiree, watching as he lights the croquembouche, he laughs with glee, Jasper lighting the sparklers. Everyone cheers. Jack and Julius come in with Reddi Whip cans and put out the fires by spraying Reddi whip all over. Everyone laughs, Mac yelping as Jack sprays some on his face. He laughs, opening his mouth and Jack sprays some in his mouth. “Diiirtyyyy!” Riley and Jill tease together. 

This only makes everyone laugh harder, they’re having the best time as they watch the whole thing go down. Someone pops open champagne and it doesn’t even matter to Mac that some gets on the floor as it flurries open. Everyone is too joyful to care, and videos end up all over everyone's timeline. They all dig into dessert, pouring coffee, drinking champagne, sharing plates together. Neighbors who weren’t invited find their way in and are welcomed anyways. 

Everyone is sharing plates, sharing drinks. They pile on chairs, the couches, all over, Mac and Jasper in the center as he announces that he wants to share his favorite story in the whole world as  _ the One  _ starts to play, Mac laughing as Jasper starts. 

“And  _ that’s  _ the story of how I got a husband.”

Everyone boos at the ending. 

“More? Come on, what else am I gonna tell you?”

“How’d you meet?” Mrs. Thomas asks. 

“Oh well, that’s a little more complicated.”

“We’ve got time,” Frankie says. Mac laughs. 

“Tell us  _ everything _ ,” Jill says, her and her friend sharing Macs chair. Riley is on the floor by her leg, Leanna on the other side. 

“Yeah, we were there but we weren’t  _ there _ ,” Bozer reminds.

“And what happened in Tuscon?”

“Or Paris.”

“Or your first pride.”

“How about opening the bakery?”

“Okay! Okay!” Jasper reasons. “Well let me start from the beginning… Once upon a time, in a dark building far away from her, in a lost land called San Francisco, I was dealing with a big, big case-”

“What kind of case?” Dean Thomas asks.

“Classified,” Jasper says easily. “See, I used to be a big important man who did a little of this…”

“Little of that,” Mac finishes. “He was like a  _ king _ , though. He knew what he was doing, he took the floor with purpose.”

“Exactly.”

“And he had to ask me questions.”

“Mac nearly peed himself the first time we sat together.”

“He knows how to look at you real scary… fix them with the stare babe.”

“I can’t do it on  _ command. _ ”

Everyone laughs, and Mac smiles. 

“It was after my first really serious boyfriend had dumped me. A couple weeks of questioning later. And Mac had come upstairs to the roof, awful timing if you ask me, I was a mess.”

“He was  _ vulnerable.  _ I had never seen him be anything but a wall.”

“I was  _ sobbing. _ ”

“He said it was because he was so upset he lost his reservation, and I said I didn’t understand. And he said that his boyfriend had left to New York for business, but really got engaged to a man he was seeing behind his back. So he said he was upset because had really wanted to go to that place for dinner, not that he  _ cared  _ about that man.”

“So Mac took his place.”

“We turned out to be very good friends.”

“What was the meaning life?”

“Do soulmates exist?”

“What is love, anyways?”

“Baby don’t hurt me, and all that.” 

Everyone laughs, people starting to film as they delve into their story, talking about sneaking around, the fear of coming out, the fear of being something that was finite. “And one day, I’d had an awful trip at work,” Mac says. “And I was complaining to him over text,” he says, not noticing as people recorded. “And he texted back,  _ come to your bedroom window,  _ and then he kissed me square on the lips. He said pack a bag enough to last a week. And i asked why, and he said  _ we’re going to tuscon.  _ I was in shock!” everyone laughs. “I said,  _ Tuscon? Arizona? That’s 8 hours away!  _ And He was sure we were going, and we drove for hours. We talked, we laughed, we danced.”

“And they made love for houuurs,” Leanna teases, shaking her shoulders, everyone laughing and yipping and adding their own little comments, as if they knew. Mac and Jasper laugh. 

“Sure, we burst into hotel rooms like movies. We laid in bed with the room swirling, that sort of thing,” Mac plays along. “And Jasper had never been to a carnival, so we went to one in Rattlesnake Ridge.”

“Oh! We should get Mr. Dolphin.”

Mac keeps talking as Jasper goes to fish out Mr. Dolphin, and he plays the whole trip over, he was clumsy with words but he painted a good enough picture. Jasper puts in the pretty details, the way the lights shone in Macs eyes, the taste of sugar on his lips, the way he melted into the hotel room floor as Music played downstairs in the courtyard and Jasper painted a facemask on. They had  _ Rocky  _ playing on the paperview TV. 

“We were wasted with love,” Jasper says. 

“Oh that reminds me of  _ our  _ first trip,” Rose says, and suddenly the floor is hers. They languish in love stories, and tall tales. Friendship stories, the heroes rising. They tell stories of fights, they talk and talk well into the evening. The kids and the sitter are sleeping by the time the night is over. The Smiths are sure they might not leave. 

3 AM rolls around, and the tables had long been cleaned off. The food long packed away. They all just wasted the night speaking. It was 4 AM by the time the party was over, and the music had died down. Eventually it was off all together. Some retired, some stayed to tell their stories. Some found corners of the house to hide in until their spouses or lovers or friends called them away. When everyone finally left at 4, and it was darker than any night Mac could remember, he was wilted with exhaustion. 

Jasper is nearly asleep on his feet. All alarms are  _ off.  _ Everyone goes to bed. 

Where the rest of New York wakes up and is bustling, shopping, pulsing, the Hudson Yards is sound asleep. 

It’s around 12 PM when Mac finally wakes up, finds Jasper sound asleep, snoring softly. Mac smiles, pressing his face into his shoulder. He hears some creaking around the house and assumes the others have woken up. He soon finds himself getting up too. Goes to the bathroom to shower, feeling a bit icky and hungover. 

Jack had taken Cadmium out already, and he feels bad for neglecting her the past 24 hours. His friends had rotated her care, she was downstairs with Jack now, as Mac finds himself downstairs, redressed in PJ’s. 

“Morning sleeping beauty, your party is the talk of the town.”

“Yeah?”

Jack nods, holding up his phone, and Mac just scrolls down his facebook, everyone on Jacks timeline sharing pictures and videos. “Wow, Jasper looked sexy,” Mac whispers. “We look that good together? Wow… man, he doesn’t look a day over 23, maybe that stupid pearl dust stuff is working.”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

Jack laughs. Cadmium sniffs up Macs leg, and Mac scoops her up, holding her close. “You didn’t talk to Carlos that much last night,” he says. “Thought you two were tight.”

“I don’t know, I just got swept up. There were so many people, so many people that I loved you know.”

Bozer comes out of the kitchen. “Made a breakfast casserole,” he says. “So… we going today?”

“Going where?” Jack asks. Mac looks at Bozer, wide eyed.

“Just running errands,” he lies, evidently. Jack scoffs. Mac hugs Cadmium to his chest. “Tell them, we’re just running errands. We’re going to walk down and run all the errands.”

Cadmium yips as if she knows what she’s agreeing too. He gets covered in kisses, making Mac laugh as he spins her around. He leans against the table, putting her down. “Bad idea, puppy,” he says. “Can’t see now, give me a second.”

Jasper comes downstairs, wrapped in a blanket. “Why’d you leave?” he asks. 

“Hm?”

Jasper smushes his face in Macs shoulder. “Wasn’t done sleeping.”

“Need him to sleep?” Jack teases, but Jasper nods seriously. 

“Take me back upstairs, Angel.”

Mac laughs, leading him back upstairs. It isn’t until 2 pm that everyone is dressed and preparing for the day. They’re all drinking water, nibbling on cookies or hugging coffee mugs. Jasper and his team are planning out the stores they’re going to hit for shopping. Mac and Bozer say they just want to stay home, and encourage Riley and Leanna to take Jill out. Riley is busy calling Jill as Leanna goes to change. Jack says he’s linking up with all his friends, they’re all going to central park. 

Mac checks his phone, scrolling through the pictures Jeremy and Helena sent.  _ Hope you had fun, missed you guys last night  _ he sends. Jasper glances at Mac, in the corner of the kitchen. He goes and glances at his phone, Mac looking at the pictures. 

“What’s up with them?”

“Looks like they went out together, just sent me a bunch of pictures.”

“Oh, well send pictures back.”

“Oh sure, because Dean Thomas and You and anyone else who was here last night, I mean almost all the people we know in the area have come in and out of this house at some point. They know, they saw. I have nothing to prove, you know?”

“They’re insecure, that’s all.”

“I invited them, they chose not to come,” Mac points out. “So, whatever it is they’re insecure about, it’s not me not liking them, or not having been invited. They were invited.”

“I know,” Jasper says. “Don’t let them dig into you. Try to enjoy your day.”

Mac smiles as he remembers what him and Bozer are up to today. “I think I’m actually going to have a really good day.”

“Yeah?” Jasper asks, getting the same mischievous smile, but his eyes are curious. 

“Yeah but it’s a secret why. I’ll be home before it’s too dark out.”

“I’ll call you when I’m nearby.”

\- Later - 

  
  


“So, when are you going to see your dad?”

“His appointment is next weekend, so… next weekend.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… I don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“Did he explain to you?”

“There are other ways than leaving me there, no communication. He could’ve called or texted before he left. He could’ve said something. He chose to leave me hanging. He chose to break my trust.” 

“Yeah… maybe I’ll propose during Christmas. You know, since it’s the first party we’re hosting together. It’s special. It’s…”

“A big deal,” Mac agrees. “I think that’s a perfect time,” he says as they admire the ring on the table. It was a big, shiny diamond ring. 

Jasper comes in with a sephora bag, and a bag a few bags from William and Sonoma for the bakery, Mac can only assume. Mac and Bozer shut the ring box and hide it under the table. 

“What was that?”

“I’m proposing,” Mac tells Jasper. “To you. Again.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. What did you buy?”

“Oh uh,” Jasper laughs. “Well other than this great ice cream I had-”

“And didn’t share?”

“Sorry babe.”

“So, you know how Kaori has been telling me all about crystals and the healing energy?”

“Which is totally fake, not even slightly real.”

“It is.”

“How do you know?”

“There’s… proof.”

What scientific proof do you have?”

“You want me to tell you that by heart? There just is, okay? Look it up. Anyways, I got this amethyst roller, and some serums to try out. My face masks were basically empty, so I got a refill. And now, I have all the stuff for a perfect facial.” 

“Ooo, tell me more about this roller,” Bozer says. 

“Ha, see! Bozer supports me. Okay, so the amethyst roller is meant to help massage the face muscles, encouraging relaxation and tension release. There’s also something about the chemicals produced in the muscles that are encouraged to produce, which help keep us looking young and healthy. The amethyst gem gives off energy that encourages sleep, healing physical and emotional ailment. So using it is meant to help rebalance mind, body, and soul,” Jasper says. “Can I try it on you?”

“ _ Please.”  _

Jasper takes out a serum, and he unboxes his roller. He washes it first under the sink water. He goes to the bathroom and comes back with a foreo cleansing brush he’s had for a couple years now. “Tip your head back.” Bozer complies. Jasper cleanses his face. Then uses a serum and uses the roller to massage it into his face. Bozer hums.

“Mac you’re crazy, this is the most relaxing thing I’ve ever used. I feel like… I  _ am  _ healing. I gotta get me one,” he says, pocketing the ring box. 

“What’s that?” Jasper asks. 

“Man, just keep using that roller on my face.”

\- Across the City -

Riley is in Matty’s hotel room, having been called in. She promised Jill and Leanna she’d link back up with them after she’d finished talking to Matty. 

“So, how has your time here been?”

“Refreshing,” Riley says. 

“I hope so.”

Riley nods, Matty eyeing her. 

“So, I assume you’re coming back home, then.”

“Oh uhm… well in January-”

“That wasn’t the question.”

“But I took leave for 6 months, and you’re not even paying me.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m paying you or not. You’re one of our most valuable tech analysts. Am I losing you as an asset?”

“No,” Riley says, shaking her head, not wanting to disappoint. “You can count on me.”

“Then when can I count on you to come home, Riley?”

“Just one more month,  _ please.  _ I can’t go back home yet. I just need one more month.”

“Fine, one more month. But after that, there is going to be no place for you at the Phoenix. Not in January, not ever again. Am I understood?”

“Yes Ma’am.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK you so much for reading. I experimented a lot this chapter, spent some LONG nights writing this. I've been up until 3 am everyday this week trying to finish it. It's 89 pages, 42.9k words. i'm VERY proud of this chapter.   
> Please leave a comment and your thoughts.  
> I want to thank all of you so much for the love and support <3 I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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